*Editor’s Note: Keeping our history close at hand is part of what makes us who we are today and shapes many of our decisions. For each “Throwback Thursday”  we’ll randomly chose a top story from that date in a previous year. It could be a story which is relevant to current events, or it might be something completely random, but in any case it will help put local news into a greater context. We find this week’s Throwback Thursday story focusing on city leaders crafting the city’s first municipal court. A brief look back at what happened on July 17, 2013-

Armed With New Info, City Leaders Consider Municipal Court

Photo: Several city leaders were on hand to hear the municipal court presentation Tuesday night. Left to right, Assistant Police Chief Marty Skibba, City Comptroller-Treasurer Corey Ladick and Alderpersons Roger Trzebiatowski, Randy Stroik, Mike Wiza and Mary Stroik. (City-Times photo)

By Donnelly Clare

Night Court could soon be coming to Stevens Point.

City leaders are considering a new municipal court for Stevens Point, which officials say would lower the cost of fines and bring in new revenue to the city. The court, which would operate after normal business hours, would handle city violations and could create a more informal, more flexible system for defendants of city ordinance violations.

The new court would also make scheduling hearings easier and move defendants through faster.

“But I want to make this very clear: you are creating a third branch of government here,” said District Court Administrator Ron Ledford said. While the judge elected to hear cases in the new system would be accountable to the voters, he said, the municipal court itself would answer to the state Supreme Court.

“This court would not be an extension of the mayor’s office or the (city) council, it would be a separate entity,” he added.

Ledford said creation of the municipal court system could be would be overseen by a steering committee which could be created by the Common Council and comprised of any combination of councilmembers, attorneys, law enforcement and other community members.

A new judge would be elected for the new court system, Ledford said, meaning the system would need to remain in place even if it’s unsuccessful throughout the judge’s term.

If the city approves the new court, ticket fines could drop by more than half in some cases, and that money would stay with the city instead of being split with the county and state under the current circuit court system.

Police Chief Kevin Ruder said the SPPD hands out 2,500-3,000 ordinance violations each year, and it’s that many cases the municipal court would likely handle.