The new court management system, FACTS, replaces the county's legacy system and automates virtually all court administrative and financial activities for the Criminal District Courts and Clerks Office of Travis County. "The collaboration between Tiburon and Travis County to advance the use of technology can serve as a national example for creating efficiency in local government and the complex justice system," said Alicia Perez, Travis County Executive Manager for Administrative Operations.
The county's Auditor's Office required the new court management system to meet stringent general ledger accounting requirements and was heavily involved in the final acceptance of the system. The system met the financial management requirements, including compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement 34 (GASB 34).
Integral to Travis County's integrated justice solution is an interagency database ("IDB"). The IDB integrates with existing county systems and enables county public safety and justice administrators to collect data and have online access to information commonly shared among agencies. Information such as name, aliases, charges and arrest records, is stored in a common data warehouse and available to any authorized user -- from law enforcement personnel and district attorneys to judges and jail administrators. The IDB eliminates redundant data entry, saves time, increases information accuracy and promotes standardized data collection.
"This fully integrated system provides for information sharing between public safety systems and the courts and prosecution agencies," said Joe Harlow, Travis County chief information officer. "Reducing data input requirements for all agencies helps ensure consistent, accurate information throughout the justice system."
To ensure the system met the county's requirements, the Commissioners Court mandated the development of an "Expected Performance Document," said Ron Schroer, Travis County Project Manager for the Court Management System. "This document provided the County and Tiburon the foundation for defining system performance and functionality met by the system."
This installation is the first phase of court automation for the county. Subsequent phases will include the Civil District Courts and Clerks Office, Offices of the Justice of Peace Courts, the Probate Court, the Drug Court, the County Courts at Law and the Office of the County Clerk.
