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HomeMy WebLinkAboutContract 47044-A1 n� 5!9 f� _ CITY SECWAW CONTRACT NO. In G� o S C pRt - 8 V ►► ~?]ial Center for State Courts AMENDMENT NO. 1 1. Contract. This Amendment revises the Scope of Work of the original Contract No. 47044 effective on the first day of September, 2015, between the National Center for State Courts (the Center) and the City of Fort Worth (Contractor). This is the first amendment to that Agreement. 2. Description of the Amendment. See attached revised Project Description and Scope of Work. 3. Confirmation. Except as provided in paragraph 2 above, all other terms and conditions of the original Contract remain in full force and effect and are hereby reaffirmed. 4. Effective Date. The amendments set forth herein are effective on the date both parties have executed this Amendment, unless otherwise provided herein. NATIONAL CENT FOR STATE COURTS CITY OF FORT WORTH By: By: V Title: vv-+,[P(Illi t S 61 redy Title: k/s, ,A+t IAJ Date: Date: 1-1 L q APPROVED AS TO �oF Fo , FORM AND LEGALITY: $a • $ Q ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY b tbesb�d � � � bo��► A�bb00006ubOr� A IM ` OFFICIAL RECORD e City CITY SECRETARY FT.WNORTN,TX II. Proiect Description A. Operational Assessment Pursuant to the task plan set out below,the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) will perform an analysis that conforms to the general methodology for operational assessments in high-volume limited,jurisdiction courts. These assessments start at the governance and management level and includes: • Governance and management: The examination of how a court is governed is the single most important element in an assessment. This examination encompasses policies and how they are made, chain of command, accountability, and the way the court organizes itself to carry out its mission. The relationship between municipal courts and city governments often features a strong role for city managers, so that spheres of authority become important in the operation of a municipal court. • Case management: The main function of a court is to dispose of the matters before it in a fair and timely fashion. The NCSC examines the expeditious movement of cases through the system in relation to time standards and to case differentiation. • Courtroom operations: Municipal courts process a number of cases, some of them of an arraignment nature that bring together a large number of people. NCSC consultants examine the use of courtrooms, the security, consideration for participants, efficient use of judges, and staff roles in assisting the judge and in making court operations run smoothly. Increasingly, the NCSC project team observes the use of courtroom technology — production of minutes, electronic access to case records, in-court noticing and recording of testimony. • Enforcement of court process and court orders: Limited jurisdiction courts tend to have a high incidence of FTAs. This is exacerbated if the Court loses "street credibility." The NCSC project team assesses the seriousness and causation of the problem, the resources to address it, and the economic trade- offs of various enforcement approaches. Warrant issuance and control is a major factor in court credibility. Failure to record discharge of a warrant can lead to false arrest. The project team examines compliance with judgments requiring course attendance, community service, etc. • Record management: The integrity, control, and management of court records are essential court functions that are examined in all operational assessments. The NCSC project team is familiar with the Standards for Court Records Management that governs archiving, court record retention schedules and the particular retention issues in high-volume courts with traffic jurisdiction. • Stakeholders: Municipal courts interact with a number of institutional stakeholders — city law enforcement agencies, city departments, prosecutors, defense bar, and state motor vehicle departments. The NCSC project team will examine the informational exchanges between the Court and these agencies and also the services provided to and by these agencies. The Court is the hub of the whole ordinance violation system. In a more sequential sense, the NCSC addresses: • Intake and data entry (an area usually greatly affected by imaging and E- filing, if that occurs) • Arraignment in jail cases • Servicing public needs at counters, by web-based applications, phone responses, and by mail • Calendaring and docket management, courtroom support, including the generation of notices and entry of orders and judgments (minutes in most jurisdictions) • In municipal courts where juries are used (as in Ft Worth), examination of jury management • Enforcement functions — warrants, terms of sentence (deferrals, driver education), interaction with department of motor vehicles • Collections and cashiering • Record maintenance and archiving(area greatly affected by imaging) • Interagency relations, mainly those with prosecutors and law enforcement agencies but also with city officials, usually city managers or financial officers 111. Work Plan The work plan will include the following tasks: Task 1: Project Initiation —Kickoff Teleconference (Unchanged; completed) Upon execution of the contract, the NCSC project director will request the City of Forth Worth (City) to designate an on-site project manager to serve as the primary contact for the NCSC project team throughout the project and to address all logistical details, including scheduling times and places for interviews that the NCSC project team will conduct during its site visits. The NCSC project director will set up a teleconference involving the NCSC project team and the City project manager and other persons designated by the City project manager to: • Establish the working relationship between the NCSC project team and the City project manager. • Discuss any changes to what is to be included in the benchmarking comparison identified in Section II(A) above. • Discuss any needed revisions to the work plan. • Identify data and background information that the City project manager can provide to the NCSC project team for review prior to the first site visit. • Identify other readily available background information that the NCSC project team should access and review prior to the first site visit. • Discuss a plan for the site visit to be conducted under Task 3, including the identity of specific persons from the City or the court or collections agencies that the NCSC project team should interview and specific processes that the team should observe. • Identify the persons who will receive and review the draft and final reports. Task 2: Review of Background Information (Unchanged; completed) The NCSC project team will review data and background information provided by the City project manager and other material identified in the teleconference along with materials on state and national best practices for municipal courts. Task 3: Initial Site Visit— Gather Information through Observation and Interviews (completed) The NCSC project team will travel to Fort Worth and conduct a five (5) day site visit. During the visit, the NCSC project team will interview personnel; observe the performance of the court, related offices, and stakeholders; review the documentation and performance of operational systems and procedures and gather data and documentation needed to answer the questions in II (A) above. Task 4: Data Analysis and Review Information Gathered during Initial Site Visit The NCSC project team will review and analyze the data and documents obtained during the site visit. As necessary, the NCSC project team will ask the City project manager to provide additional information. The project team will also identify areas in which require further review and observation. The NCSC project team will review and analyze available research that the NCSC has previously conducted in other municipal courts and contact municipal court judges and administrators, as well as judicial experts,nationwide in order to identify best practices in each area. Task 5: Second Site Visit—Gather Information through Observation and Interviews The NCSC project team will return to Fort Worth and conduct a 2-3 day site visit to review areas identified during Task 4. This site visit is to ensure that the project team has a complete understanding of the courts and its' operations. The NCSC project team will interview select personnel; observe the performance of the court, related offices, and stakeholders in order to fully understand and document the operational processes and systems of the court needed to answer the questions in II(A) above. Task 6: Develop a Draft Report for Review and Distribution (unchanged) The NCSC project team will prepare a draft report that addresses each matter identified in the project description (Section II) and send it via e-mail to the City project manager for review by the City project manager and other persons designated by the City project manager. Task 7: Review the Draft Report(unchanged) The NCSC project team will meet with the City project manager and other persons identified by the City project manager via teleconference in order to receive comments on the draft report and to gather additional information. The NCSC project team will then revise the draft report as appropriate based on the feedback provided. Task 8: Complete Final Report(unchanged) The NCSC project team will prepare the final report which addresses all matters identified in Section II (A). The report will include best practices and provide recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Fort Worth Municipal Court system. Task 9: Present Findings of the Report (unchanged) A NCSC project team member will conduct a teleconference/webinar with the City project manager and with persons designated by the City project manager to present the findings and recommendations of the final report and discuss "next steps" to implement its recommendations in both the short and long terms.