02-08-1984 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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In 1981, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners examined two proposals from its Legislative Committee concerning the number and location of municipal courts and the process for making decisions on that issue. These proposals called for a reduction in the number of court locations to one or two suburban locations in addition to St. Paul facilities. One of them removed the provision requiring the consent of the suburban cities and municipal court judges prior to any change. Neither proposal was approved by the Board on February 9, 1981. During the discussions on this issue, a suggestion was made that Ramsey County should consider constructing a centrally- located suburban facility with courtrooms and space for other county services. On April 6, 1981, the Board adopted a resolution that approved "...legislation providing the Board discretion in establishing municipal courts within Ramsey County." As of this date, the Board has not presented any legislation to the legislature based on this resolution or on the possibility of a new facility. The proposal for a reduced number of courtroom locations has met with opposition from many suburban cities. Opposition has focused both on the actual proposals and on the process used by the Ramsey County Board to present it to the suburban cities. III. COMMITTEE'S FOCUS The Ramsey County Court Study Committee concentrated on two main issues regarding the organization of the system. These issues were the relationship of the courts to the physical size of the county and the efficiency of the system in terms of both convenience and cost to the taxpayers of Ramsey County.