Passport applications will now be processed at the central services office.

The state court system is facing a $38 million shortfall in funding due to the state budget crisis. Judges, court administrators and district court staff have lamented how the loss of state funding will impact on the state court system.

Because so much of the passport application work must be done by the citizen seeking a passport, there is very little the court administration staff have to do at each transaction.

"They issued 468 passports in 2002 and according to their own explanation, it takes between 15 and 20 minutes or less for each transaction," Tucker said.

Ray Tucker, 2nd District county commissioner, admitted his misgivings about a proposal to transfer the passport business from the Mower County Court Administrator's office to the central services office.

"Don't ask me why they are doing this," Tucker said.

The central services office was created after the $4.4 million courthouse renovation and reorganization. Two people staff the office inside the courthouse's west/main entrance. The employees work under the supervision of county coordinator Craig Oscarson.

Richard P. Cummings, 1st District, said the county should consider itself fortunate. "If the state takes over the courts, we'd lose that revenue if it would stay with the court administrator."

Tucker made the motion to approve the change-over despite his admitted doubts. Cummings seconded it and the motion was unanimously approved.

Law books to sit in storage

It takes more to become a lawyer than reading a law book.

But read enough law books and one could easily sound like a lawyer.

That's the opportunity ahead in Mower County.

Mower County Attorney Patrick W. Flanagan is getting rid of law books in his office.

"With the remodeling that is going on, we're trying to make better use of our space," Flanagan told the county commissioners Tuesday. "There's not enough room to keep them and, really, there's not any need for them any longer with the same information online."

Not only does the county attorney have law books to give away, so does the Mower County Law Library, said Ray Tucker, 2nd District county commissioner, and a member of the county law library board.

Tucker wanted to add both the law library's and county attorney's law books to the upcoming surplus property auction.

However, the list of items to be auctioned -- including two Mower County Sheriff's Office patrol cars -- has already been prepared.

Thus, the law books will have to remain in storage until the next available surplus property auction unless another outlet for the books surfaces.

Details about the surplus property auction will be announced soon.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com