Lyon County District Court is hopeful jury trials may be resuming as soon as next month.
During their weekly action session Thursday morning Lyon County Commissioners approved a request from District Court Administrative Judge Merlin Wheeler for the installation of plexiglass barriers inside district courtrooms. The plexiglass will help to limit the potential spread of COVID-19 making courtrooms safer for all involved in legal proceedings, specifically jurors.
Plans are to install plexiglass inside courtrooms two and three according to District Court Administrator Ruth Wheeler at a cost of just over $33,000. Wheeler says the county will be looking for reimbursement from the Kansas Supreme Court.
Wheeler says it is currently unclear how much money may be made available to the county if the Supreme Court’s request is approved.
During Thursday’s meeting, County Counselor Marc Goodman expressed he was in favor of the new installations as the county needs to resume jury trials as soon as possible. He explains that recent extensions on proceedings handed down by the supreme court are quickly nearing their expiration and if trials do not resume in a timely manner many cases could be dismissed.
Goodman says he is looking at the installations from a necessity standpoint and not a monetary standpoint.
According to Wheeler, the project, being overseen by Commerce Construction Services, should take roughly four days to complete once it begins. A timeline for the project is currently pending, however, Wheeler says they are hoping to begin in the first week of October so jury trials may commence later that month.
In other business, commissioners approved drafting a letter of support for LCAT for a Kansas Department of Transportation grant. The KDOT grant is an annual funding source that helps offset county expenses for LCAT transportation.
The grant provides an 80/20 match for administration costs such as administrative pay, office supplies and postage fees among other expenditures and a 70/30 match for operating expenses such as costs of equipment, maintenance, driver’s pay, physicals and training as well advertisement costs. LCAT is in the early preliminary stages of the grant application process and LCAT Financial Coordinator Shane Brunner anticipates returning to the county with more information by Oct. 31 at the latest.
Brunner anticipates it will be early next year before they learn whether their request has been approved or denied by KDOT.
Following one of many executive sessions Thursday, Commission Chairman Rollie Martin announced there will be a special study work session for the Lyon County Board of Public Health held Wednesday at 9 am inside the County Courthouse. The purpose of the meeting will be for the collection of data and information on the county’s current health order set to expire on Sept. 18. No action will be taken during the session, however, no action is anticipated on the topic during the commission’s next regular meeting scheduled for next Thursday at 9 am.
