Thu, Nov 26 2009
|
|
Published October 25, 2009 09:41 pm - CARTHAGE, Mo. — A new Carthage Municipal Court clerk has been named, and other efforts are under way to improve court operations, police Chief Greg Dagnan said. Kim Christensen started work in the court post last Monday. She has been with the city for 10 years and was the department’s lead communications officer, the chief said. She fills a post that was vacated when a worker was fired for “policy violations” after officials discovered that a “significant” amount of money collected as court revenues appeared to be missing. Carthage court clerk appointed By Susan Redden sredden@joplinglobe.com CARTHAGE, Mo. — A new Carthage Municipal Court clerk has been named, and other efforts are under way to improve court operations, police Chief Greg Dagnan said. Kim Christensen started work in the court post last Monday. She has been with the city for 10 years and was the department’s lead communications officer, the chief said. She fills a post that was vacated when a worker was fired for “policy violations” after officials discovered that a “significant” amount of money collected as court revenues appeared to be missing. No arrests have been made and no charges filed, but officers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol are investigating the missing money at the city’s request. The probe, which includes forensic accountants, started in August. “I talked to them about two weeks ago, when they were down collecting another box of documents,” Dagnan said. “They said they thought it would take another month.” Dagnan, who oversees municipal court operations, said he was alerted to discrepancies while working on ways to improve efficiency in the court. He said he was reviewing court deposits, and he asked for an outside investigation because deposits from the fines looked “off.” Additional changes have been made in an effort to improve court accountability, and more are planned, the chief said. Christensen’s selection as court clerk came after a search that attracted about 25 applicants. “We interviewed five or six people, and she stood out — which is nice, because we already knew her as a good employee,” Dagnan said. Another recent change is a requirement that fines be paid at the Police Department from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The change is to allow the court clerk to reconcile payments at the end of every business day. “Before, if you wanted to pay a fine at 3 a.m., the dispatcher would take it,” Dagnan said. “But the dispatcher could be the same officer who wrote your ticket, filling in for someone on a lunch hour. Now, only court employees will take fine money. The court clerk won’t take money, but she’ll track it to make sure it’s done right.” Lynn Campbell, city clerk, has been added to the municipal court account for oversight of the system by someone outside the Police Department. Campbell and Dagnan also are working on a proposal to move court clerk operations to City Hall. “It would be its own department, with Lynn as department head,” Dagnan said. “It won’t increase the court staff, but there would be more people there who could handle tickets. It would make the system better and more secure.” 
•
Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
More from the Carthage, Jasper County section
Carthage council debates test on downtown parking restrictions Joplin man in custody on drug charges Kansas resident arrested on charges of sexual misconduct |
Print this story
E-mail this story
Post to del.icio.us
Discuss this story
 |
 |
: Special Offer For New Subscribers
:
 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
Published by Newspaper Holding, Inc. 117 East Fourth Street, Joplin, MO 64801 Using our site is your agreement to the terms and conditions. News: news@joplinglobe.com • (417)623-3480 Advertise with the Joplin Globe Copyright © 2006 The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO All rights reserved. 
|
Popular Business directory links - Joplin Apartments | Joplin Attorneys | Joplin Auto Dealers | Joplin Auto Parts | Joplin Auto Repair | Joplin Beauty Salons | Joplin Car Rental | Joplin Dentists | Joplin Doctors | Joplin Flowers | Joplin Hotels | Joplin Insurance | Joplin Loans | Joplin Mortgages | Joplin Movers | Joplin Pizza | Joplin Realtors | Joplin Restaurants | Joplin Storage | Joplin Tax Preparation | Joplin Travel | Joplin Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |
