Highland County Court · Madison Township Division · Greenfield, Ohio

Save Our Court

Keep justice seated in Madison Township.

Highland County is considering closing or relocating the only court in the northeastern corner of the county — the court of record for all 6,422 residents of Madison Township. Closing it wouldn't save money. It would move the cost onto Greenfield taxpayers, weaken local policing, and shut working families out of their own justice system.

0.18% That's the court's entire net cost to the county — less than two-tenths of one percent of the budget. Closing it frees up almost no money, and every dollar "saved" reappears as a bigger bill somewhere else.

Contact Our Officials → See the Facts

976 cases handled in 2025

17 miles to the nearest alternative

0.18% of the county budget

What's Happening — and Why Now

An entire township could lose its court

With the current judge's term ending, the bench will soon be vacant — and the Highland County Commissioners are using that moment to weigh whether to continue operating the court at all. They are gathering data from the Supreme Court of Ohio right now. The window to be heard is open today, before any decision is made.

This is not just "the Greenfield court."

It is the court of record for all of Madison Township — 34.4 square miles, the incorporated Village of Greenfield and every unincorporated road, farm, and residence in it. It is the only court seated anywhere in the northeastern corner of Highland County, the farthest township from the county seat in Hillsboro.

Eliminating it does not inconvenience one village. It leaves an entire township — bordering Fayette and Ross Counties — without a court of its own. That is precisely why a court was seated here in the first place, and it is the one fact about this decision that no efficiency measure can change.

Start With the Money

Closing the court saves the county almost no money

Here's the number driving this whole debate: after what the court collects and hands back, keeping it open costs the county roughly 0.18% of its budget — less than two-tenths of one percent. And even that "savings" disappears the moment the bills land somewhere else.

County general fund pays$184,814

Court returned to county in collected costs$64,360

Net cost as share of county budget0.18%

$120,454 net cost to the county in 2025

= 0.18% of the $66.8M county budget

The court also distributed another $22,790 to other state and local agencies, and handled $209,350 in total in 2025. Whatever the county books as savings on a lease line, Madison Township taxpayers would pay back in police overtime, fuel, cruiser mileage, warrants, and jail beds — to solve a problem they did not have.

The Case for Our Court

And closing it costs more than it saves

Drawn directly from the Court's 2025 Annual Report, the county budget, and the analysis of the Greenfield Police Chief, the County Prosecutor, and Village leadership.

A busy, working court

In 2025 the court processed 976 complaints, citations, and civil cases — roughly 152 filings per 1,000 residents. That's 349 criminal charges, 428 traffic charges, and 199 civil cases, including 17 evictions. This is not an idle bench.

976 cases · 6,422 residents

It keeps police on our streets

Greenfield Police filed about 80% of the criminal and traffic charges here. Today an officer subpoenaed to court walks up one flight of stairs. Move the docket 17 miles to Hillsboro and every hearing becomes a 34-mile round trip — pulling officers off patrol and driving up overtime in a village that can't backfill the shift.

623 of 777 charges filed by GPD

Access to justice, close to home

The court is where residents handle small claims, evictions, debt and garnishment, driving privileges, probation, and community service. Closing it forces every one of those to Hillsboro — for a township with an 18.3% poverty rate and $30,097 per capita income, many without reliable transportation.

172 needed appointed counsel in 2025

The cost just shifts — and grows

Distance drives failures to appear; those produce bench warrants, arrests, transports, and jail days — all county expenses. The Prosecutor estimates closure could require two additional Sheriff's deputies just for transport and service of process, potentially approaching the court's entire current budget.

Savings on paper, higher bills in practice

Already modernizing in place

The court now accepts e-citations from the State Highway Patrol, is onboarding the Sheriff's Office, refers overdue fines to the Ohio Attorney General at no county cost, and processed $16,935.71 online through N-Court in 2025. Efficiency is being captured right where the court already sits.

Not a static or rising cost

A backup courtroom for the county

The Greenfield courtroom is large enough to seat a 14-person felony jury. With both Common Pleas divisions housed together in Hillsboro, our court gives the county a ready alternate venue in an emergency — capacity the county would simply lose.

Also feeds the county Law Library fund

Make Your Voice Heard

Contact the officials who decide

The most powerful thing you can do is tell these officials, in your own words, that Madison Township should keep its court. We've written a starting message for each — copy it, add a sentence about what the court means to you, and send it.

How to help in three minutes:

Pick an official below. Reaching all three has the most impact — the County Commissioners hold the decision, and your state legislators can weigh in from Columbus.
Copy the message (or hit "Open Email"), and add one line about why this court matters to you or your family.
Send it — and ask a neighbor to do the same. Respectful, personal notes from real residents carry the most weight.

Questions & Answers

What people are asking

Wouldn't closing the court save the county money?

Not once you count the whole picture. The county's net cost is about $120,454 — 0.18% of its $66.8M budget. Closing the court would shift costs onto Greenfield (police overtime and travel), onto the Sheriff (the Prosecutor estimates two more deputies for transport and process service), and back onto the county through more bench warrants, arrests, and jail days when people can't make a 34-mile trip. The Village's analysis concludes closure would likely cost the county more than it saves.

Where would our cases go instead?

To the Hillsboro Municipal Court, 17 miles away. The Village estimates that would raise Hillsboro's caseload by roughly 26% in criminal, 22% in civil, and 16% in traffic matters — a jump that court could not absorb without hiring more staff. Since most of our court's cost is simply the two clerks and the judge, closing it largely moves staffing costs from one court to another rather than eliminating them.

Who does this really affect?

Every resident of Madison Township — 6,422 people across 34.4 square miles, not just the Village of Greenfield. That includes rural residents on unincorporated county roads served by the Sheriff, ODNR, and the Highway Patrol; property owners and local businesses using the civil docket; and the 172 residents who needed court-appointed counsel in 2025. Distance falls hardest on those with the least ability to travel.

Isn't the court an outdated, rising expense?

The opposite. The 2025 Annual Report shows the court accepting electronic citations, onboarding more agencies, referring overdue collections to the Ohio Attorney General at no county cost, and processing tens of thousands of dollars in payments online. It's modernizing in place, under the current judge and clerk, without relocating anything.

What are we actually asking the commissioners to do?

Before any vote: publish a real fiscal analysis showing net cost rather than gross savings — including police overtime, diverted patrol hours, prisoner transport, warrant costs, jail days, and lost lease value. Hold a public work session in Greenfield with police, township trustees, council, the clerk, and the solicitor. And state, in writing, the statutory mechanism and timeline they intend to use. In short: no decision in the dark.