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City Court, Clerk warn of pending move from 201 Poplar and urge investment in virtual court and records digitization
Summary
Judges and the City Court Clerk testified that the court faces a notice to vacate 201 Poplar, the city charter names that building as the court location, and the clerk's office is pursuing a new ticket management system and digitization to reduce storage costs; committee asked for clearer revenue accounting and details on collections and amnesty.
Judge Chandler, the municipal court’s administrative judge, and City Court Clerk Taketa Johnson told the budget committee that the court and clerk are facing several operational strains: an outstanding lease/holding‑over situation at 201 Poplar with a notice to vacate at the end of the calendar year; a need to implement virtual/hybrid court procedures; and the upcoming expiration of the court’s document and ticket management contract in November 2025.
Judge Chandler told the committee the city charter states city courts are to be housed at 201 Poplar and said the court faces uncertainty because a lease renewal has not been finalized. The clerk’s office said the contract for its current court document and ticket management system will expire in November 2025 and the office is preparing an RFP for a replacement. Clerk Taketa Johnson said the new system should allow virtual court appearances, online public access to court records, and better online payments, which the clerk’s office expects will increase collections.
The clerk described a storage problem for paper records — an eviction from an earlier shared storage arrangement required the office to move roughly 8,000 tons (as described by staff) of documents and is currently paying about $24,000 a year for off‑site storage. The clerk’s office said digitization is a priority but that complete scanning (particularly for older bound records) will require an RFP or third‑party scanning and additional funding.
On revenue, committee members noted the appropriation statement shows $4 million in fines and forfeitures but the clerk said collections and unallocated suspense accounts indicate actual cash flows are higher: the clerk reported a suspense account holding approximately $6 million and said total collectible receipts including red light/speed enforcement could be about $8 million. The clerk also reported approximately $1.1 million in tickets (5,051 traffic tickets) in collections that are between 90 days and 10 years old; tickets older than 10 years cannot be actively collected for legal reasons though balances may remain on the books. Council members pressed for more precise revenue accounting and for recommendations on amnesty, payment plans and stronger collection pathways.
Clerk Johnson and committee members urged quick procurement of a new court management system that supports virtual court access and better online payments; Council and administration staff also discussed the need for short‑term storage and longer‑term digitization plans and asked the administration to assist in finding interim space if the court must relocate.
