MUNICIPAL COURT

PURPOSE/GOALS

Municipal Court is the judicial branch of municipal government. It is through Municipal Court that most citizens come into contact with the judicial system, either as a defendant, complaining witness, or other party. Since most citizens will never appear before another court, it is from their experience in the Municipal Court that most people base their conclusions about the quality of justice rendered in this country.

PROGRAMS/SERVICES

Municipal Court processes more cases than any other part of the judiciary. The Court adjudicates all traffic, parking, and misdemeanors committed within the City of Morgantown.

The Municipal Court schedule is as follows

First Monday Each Month 3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Each Tuesday 8:00 A.M.. - 9:00 A.M.

Each Thursday 1:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Second Thursday Each Month 5 :00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

Plea Day:

Second Week of Month 8:30 A.M. - 10:30P.M.

Jury Trials Scheduled as Needed

The public is welcomed to observe Court in action. A tour, including an explanation of court procedures, can be arranged by contacting the Court Clerk at (302) 284-7498 or 284-7416. Comments concerning the administration of Municipal Court are always welcomed and encouraged

REVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR

This has been a busy year for Court. Judge Stephen Higgins came on board in November, 1999, so this has been his first full year. The number and types of cases processed by Municipal Court from July, 1999, through June, 2000, is as follows:

Traffic 3,573

DUI 215

DUI Under 21 23

Criminal 734

Arrest 657

Parking 13,105

Total 18,307

As you can see by the following graph, Municipal Court collections have been relatively stable:

Court General Fund Revenue

Although total revenues collected and remitted to the General Fund for fiscal year 2000 were $31,545 less than in fiscal year 1999, the amounts remitted to the General Fund included $23,552 and $646 of collection agency fees in fiscal year 1999 and fiscal year 2000, respectively. These fees were then paid from the General Fund to the collection agency. This reduction in collection expense has been accomplished by Court personnel being able to fully utilize the collection system that was included with the FullCourt software installed in 1998. The following charts depict the revenues that were collected and transferred to the General Fund:

Court Resources

RESOURCES

The Court offices are located on the first floor of the City of Morgantown's Public Safety Building at 300 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV 26505.

Court personnel consists of a part-time Municipal Court Judge, one backup judge, full-time dispositions clerk/supervisor, full-time cashier, full-time data entry clerk, and two part-time deputy municipal court clerks. The Assistant City Attorney serves as City Prosecutor, and works closely with Court staff.

The current computer system and software were installed in May, 1998. Hardware consists of an IBM 200 MHz Pentium Pro server and four workstations, a dot matrix printer, a laser printer, and an ink jet printer. Three workstations were replaced this year with IBM 300GL PC's with Microsoft Office software. Two members of Court staff attended in-house training sessions in Microsoft Windows, Word, and Excel and learned the basics of word processing and spreadsheet applications. This will enable personnel to utilize the word processing and spreadsheet capabilities for enhanced record keeping and reporting.

The Court utilizes Justice Systems, Inc.'s "FullCourt" software, and contracts with Justice Systems, Inc. for its annual maintenance and support. This system permits Court staff to perform all case management functions, from initial entry, scheduling, and case status updating, to collections, disbursements of monies, and case dispositions.

FORECAST FOR THE COMING YEAR

Justice Systems, Inc. introduced its new version of FullCourt software on July 1, 2000. FullCourt V.3 has some important technological advancements that will provide public access to the Court via the Internet and some enhancements that greatly increases the functionality of the software. While Municipal Court has not yet upgraded to FullCourt V.3, the Court will be required to in the near future to ensure continued maintenance and support. This will also required some additional staff training.

Municipal Court staff plans to continue its efforts to serve the citizens of Morgantown in a courteous and efficient manner. Court staff will also work to reduce the rate of uncollectible accounts and plans to implement a better reporting system to monitor collection rates and outstanding accounts. Above all, the Morgantown Municipal Court will ensure that individual justice is achieved in all cases.