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Prothonotary’s office System will allow users to browse documents from 2005 to present

November 13

County civil records going online

By Sheena Delazio sdelazio@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County residents will soon be able to access civil records online, Deputy Prothonotary Art Bobbouine said Thursday.

The system, set to take effect on Tuesday, will allow users to browse through documents dating from 2005 to the present.

“This will streamline our office and cut down on paper costs,” Bobbouine said.

Online viewing of documents has been a goal of Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski since she took office in January 2010.

Employees of the office were trained Wednesday on how to use the new system, and a focus group of attorneys is being put together for the next phase of the process – in which attorneys will be able to electronically file documents from their own office, known as e-filing.

“This is a cost-effective thing for us,” Medico Olenginski said.

“It’s also a huge help for attorneys from places like Berwick and Hazleton, and out of the area. They are sometimes traveling here every day, that’s a real burden. They are the ones that are really waiting for this to be implemented.”

Bobbouine said he expects e-filing to take affect within the first two weeks of December. The office recently purchased new computers and monitors in the office, which was the first step in beginning online access.

The purchase was made through the office’s “automated fund” which consists of proceeds from fees paid by office users.

Last summer, county commissioners voted to pay a Bensalem-based company, Paperless Solutions, $132,750 for an e-filing system, in addition to $20,750 per year for maintenance.

Those expenses, too, would be funded by the office automation account, which the state set up in 1998 to allow some county offices to use a special service fee to fund computerization.

Bobbouine said Thursday that a credit card will be required to pay for access to online files, beginning with $1 per page and an additional 10 cents for every page after the first.

Once kinks are worked out, Bobbouine said, e-filing will be available to everyone, and a credit card will be charged when filing online.

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