Court administrator asks council to fund warrant officer, bailiff and cap fines at $500

Laura Roberts, court administrator, told the council on Sept. 11 she is seeking a dedicated full‑time warrant officer and a full‑time bailiff to help clear a backlog of warrants and provide court security. “When I first started, we have 12,876 warrants,” Roberts said. “We are now to about 9,000 a little over 9,000 now.”

Roberts said the warrant officer would be an employee of the police department who would coordinate with her office and that the bailiff position would be split 50/50 between the corrections jail fund and the court corrections fund. “They cannot be funded by the court because they are an employee of the police department,” she said.

The request also includes keeping one already‑funded full‑time court clerk position vacant this year so Roberts can complete hiring. She asked council permission to spend $10,000 from court funds to replace broken office furniture and requested up to $45,000 from court funds for a vehicle; Roberts said she may later recommend paying mileage instead if the car is not justified by use.

On penalties, Roberts asked the council to update the city’s fine schedule and to authorize a maximum bond (fine) of $500 for many ordinance violations, rather than a flat $100 cap. “I’m asking that you all approve the ordinance to be put in place to update what we have and make a maximum bond of 500,” Roberts said. She described the $500 figure as a maximum, not a mandatory fine, and said judges would retain discretion to consider ability to pay and other circumstances.

Council member Arliss said he was uncomfortable adopting higher maximums without comparable schedules from other cities. “I guess, I don't feel more comfortable if we have some kind of sort of comparables to compare with other cities,” he said. Roberts replied that she had reviewed nearby cities and that many list a $500 maximum bond without a required flat fine.

A separate discussion touched on parking fines: Roberts said the city’s current parking fines are low (she cited $5 and $10 examples) and recommended a $100 base for many parking offenses while exempting items such as fire lane and hydrant blocking (which she said many nearby cities set higher). She said handicap parking fines in other cities she contacted were commonly $500.

Council members asked procedural questions. Walter confirmed the change would be an ordinance and would need referral to the Public Safety committee. The council agreed to place the proposed fee schedule/ordinance on the committee referral agenda for more detailed discussion.

Discussion versus action: the council did not vote to adopt changes at the Sept. 11 hearing. Roberts’ personnel and capital funding requests were presented for the budget process; the fines/fee schedule was referred to committee for consideration.

Why it matters: Roberts said higher maximums and a dedicated warrant officer would allow the court to clear old warrants and get defendants to court more quickly, which she said would help resolve outstanding cases and reduce repeat violations.

What’s next: Council members asked staff to place the draft ordinance and fee schedule on the Public Safety committee referral agenda so the committee can review comparables, enforcement impacts, and judge discretion before any ordinance is introduced for readings.

Ending: Roberts emphasized fiscal caution on capital items: she said the furniture and vehicle requests would come from court funds, not the general fund, and that she expects the furniture cost to be well under $10,000. The council scheduled the ordinance referral and further committee review as part of the budget process.