EAST LIVERPOOL - A member of the Government Relations Council for the Supreme Court of Ohio has weighed in on a proposal to change the municipal court jurisdictions for East Liverpool and Wellsville.

However, the letter to state Senator Jason Wilson from Jo Ellen Cline, with the Supreme Court of Ohio's Government Relations Council, goes much farther and suggests a "comprehensive reorganization of the municipal courts" in Columbiana County.

In the final portion of the letter, Cline writes, "... the combined filings of the three judges in Columbiana County are approximately 16,000 cases. The statewide average per judge is 13,000 and many judges effectively manage higher caseloads. It would appear that a true cost savings would occur by a comprehensive reorganization of the municipal courts."

Cline's comment on the caseload was one of several factors cited for consideration prior to moving the Wellsville municipal court jurisdiction to East Liverpool.

As for the Supreme Court of Ohio, it will not take a particular position on the idea of a jurisdictional change.

"The Chief Justice believes this is a matter best left to the local officials, the local bar association and the citizens of the affected jurisdiction," Cline wrote. "Therefore, the Court will likely not take a position on proposed legislation moving the Village of Wellsville from the jurisdiction of the Columbiana Municipal Court to the jurisdiction of the East Liverpool Municipal Court."

Cline said other factors for consideration should include what the judges in both municipal courts think, the thoughts of the county funding authority, and the fact that, Wellsville aside, the proposal does not seem to accommodate other communities that are closer to East Liverpool than to the Columbiana Municipal Court in Lisbon.

For his part, Wilson appears open to discussing the issue.

In a letter to East Liverpool officials, Wilson repeated the Supreme Court's intention to not weigh in on the issue, but he added the letter "does raise some questions that we should consider before moving forward with this matter."

Wilson is calling for a meeting in Columbiana County with all of the parties that might possibly be affected by this change, including, but not limited to, the affected judges, city and village officials and other municipalities in the county.

"Whatever way makes sense for the county and the court system is what we need to look at," Wilson said in a phone interview Tuesday night.

Wilson said the meeting will take place in January, and everything is on the table.

"Obviously, I'm not an attorney and I'd rather defer to the people that do that every day and get their opinions on the matter," Wilson said. "I just want to make sure we are doing everything possible to make sure the taxpayers are getting their money's worth and the court system is serving the public in the best way possible."

Wilson added that Supreme Court of Ohio Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer is "thinking of ways to adapt the court system to today's world" and believes in downsizing many courts in the system when possible.

"That's his opinion, and that's why we're going to hold these meetings and discuss the issues," Wilson said.

An informal, casual conversation has already taken place between Wilson and East Liverpool Municipal Court Judge Melissa Byers-Emmerling, according to Wilson.

He did not reveal the nature of the conversation only to say, "She has an excellent opinion on the matter of including Wellsville in the East Liverpool Municipal Court."

Wilson added that he wanted to seek Byers-Emmerling's advice because she would be directly involved in any jurisdictional change.

An aide in Wilson's office, Josh Williams, has been directly involved in communicating with Supreme Court officials and other state agencies, according to Wilson.

On Tuesday, Byers-Emmerling said she would not comment on the matter.

One East Liverpool City Council member has weighed in on the issue, however, and believes the caseload information is important.

"People should think about this," Ryan Stovall said during a Monday night council meeting. "To me, that (the Supreme Court letter) would say we're a little heavy. We need to think about that, and the county needs to think about that, also.

"If the average judge is taking on 13,000 (cases) and the combined in our three courts in Columbiana County is 16,000, that's about two too many (judges) for the courts."

Stovall went on to say, "When they start looking at cutting and finding funding, maybe that's what they should look at. With the times being how they are, maybe people ought to look at that as a cost savings measure."

As far as the East Liverpool Municipal Court is concerned, Stovall offered a degree of support.

"It's not to say we don't need our court up here, because the East Liverpool Municipal Court is the busiest court in the county. I understand that," Stovall added.

Wilson has taken the lead in investigating the possibility of folding Wellsville into the East Liverpool Municipal Court. State Representative Linda Bolon has also been involved.

The matter will require state legislation before it can be official, and any movement on that front will likely occur after Wilson's January meeting with all interested parties.