The new joint municipal court is expected to be held at the Stevens Point Water Department, 300 Bliss Avenue. (City-Times photo)

City-Times Staff

The Joint Municipal Court Oversight Committee could approve a new municipal court judge as early as Tuesday.    

The committee, comprised of leaders from both Stevens Point and the Village of Plover, had received three applications for the part-time judge position by last week’s deadline. Alderman Mike Wiza, a member of the committee, said all three applicants were from the Central Wisconsin area.

The judge would earn about $1,000 for the part-time work, which could operate as little as only a few days each month.

The new court would hear cases involving municipal ordinance violations such as first offense OWI, disorderly conduct and traffic violations. Police Chief Kevin Ruder said he’s worked on compiling information on the new court for about a decade, but has since said he will no longer be involved with the court’s creation or maintenance to avoid conflict of interest.

Once a judge is approved by the committee, the applicants must also be approved by the Stevens Point City Council and the Village of Plover Board of Trustees. Committee members say they expect the court to be operational by June.

The committee meets at 4 PM on Tuesday, April 1 in the city conference room at the courthouse, 1515 Strongs Avenue. The public is welcome.