Sometimes all it takes to solve a neighborhood problem or clear up a landlord-tenant dispute is a conversation.

So to relieve some of the pressures on the county's overburdened small claims court and help those involved in the cases find better outcomes, the county decided this summer to expand mediation services offered to some court litigants.

"It will encourage people to go to mediation immediately instead of waiting for court," said Nancy Heischman, executive director of Conflict Resolution Center. "It's just a whole different experience than court."

Court officials increased mediation offerings -- including evenings, weekends and for people involved in limited civil cases -- with the help of a state Office of the Court grant.

The Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz has provided the services to the small claims court since 1994, but only during the one day a week court is in session. Litigants had about 45 minutes to try to resolve their problems with a mediator before going in front of a judge. With the new system, they will be able to meet with a counselor outside of court and talk without a time limit.

Already, about two-thirds of small claim litigants give mediation a try and about 85 percent of those people successfully resolve their issues.

"They're often cases where there are relationships the parties want to preserve," Heischman said.

She pointed to a neighborhood disagreement about who would pay for a broken sewer pipe that went to mediation. The families involved really wanted an agreement about how future issues would be handled, not to fight about who was paying for the current repairs. Both questions were resolved in mediation and the families walked away friends.

"That's not a resolution you're going to get in court," Heischman said. "Often in court people are dissatisfied with the process because they don't get to the heart of the issues."

Mediation "is not going to ever replace that system," said Sasha Morgan, self-help manager for the Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

Filing a small claims court case and working with a mediator will cost parties about the same amount, and those who can't resolve their issues through mediation can still take the case into the courtroom, court officials said.

People interested in mediation can call the Conflict Resolution Center at 475-6117 or info@crcsantacruz.org.