County court offices moving to earlier closing time

Bartholomew County courts are changing their hours.

Beginning next month, the court offices will be open from 8 to 4 Monday through Friday. Currently the courts are open until 5 p.m.

According to the county judges, the change will bring the county courts more in line with courts statewide. Of Indiana’s 92 counties, only Bartholomew and Carroll counties have courts that are open until 5 p.m.

The judges said in their announcement that the change had been approved by all three judges, with the recommendation of the general counsel to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Other offices in the courthouse, the county clerk and prosecutor’s offices, will remain open from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday.

At their Monday meeting, the county commissioners said that the courts are essentially state employees that the county pays, but the other courthouse offices are fully county employees.