Stonecrest judges warn clerk vacancy and caseload rise could erode court gains

Chief Judge Curtis W. Miller told the Stonecrest City Council on July 14 that the municipal court has seen a notable increase in cases this year and urged council members to be involved in replacing the court administrator who recently left the city. Miller said much of the caseload growth reflects better code-enforcement work finding businesses operating without required local business licenses and occupational tax registration. “I don’t want anybody, especially council people, to think that the court is a source of revenue. It is not,” Miller said, adding that fines and fees support enforcement but are not the court’s purpose. The judge said the court has widened calendars and adjusted procedures to handle more cases involving corporate and nonperson entities, such as apartment owners and absentee landlords, and to make sure the proper legal entity is charged. He described one recent hearing in which an owner participated by video from Nigeria and noted that judges and the solicitor must sometimes do extra work to identify the correct corporate defendant before enforcement steps like contempt or other sanctions can be effective. Council members and staff discussed where responsibility lies for replacing the court administrator; Mallory Scruggs, city manager, said the administration is “gearing up to be able to replace” the departed administrator and expects to fund an additional position. Miller said the transition is critical and warned the court could “lose an enormous amount of ground” if hiring and handoff are not managed carefully. Council members pressed for more detail about how revenue shown in court receipts ties to the underlying offenses. Miller said the daily receipts report lists totals but not offense-level detail; he told the council that matching payments to specific citations would be possible through case records if members want that breakdown. Judges and councilmembers discussed amnesty day, a court effort to clear dormant dockets by notifying people with outstanding fines or inactive cases so they can address or negotiate resolution. Judge Scott, who handled the recent amnesty day, described it as “just like a regular court day” with administrative staff sending notices, the solicitor negotiating pretrials, and the public defender available for qualifying defendants. Council members asked for a solicitor briefing at a future work session. City Attorney Denmark volunteered that his office, which serves as solicitor, could organize a presentation so council can hear the solicitor’s perspective on prosecuting code cases and tools to improve compliance. Miller also asked to be involved in the process to fill the former court administrator role so the chosen candidate understands the court’s recent changes. Scruggs said she would continue personnel work through administration and follow up with Miller on outstanding items, including the judge’s list of municipal-code sections that staff had previously reviewed. The council’s discussion ranged from enforcement strategy and whether fines create effective deterrence to process questions about notice to absentee owners and whether code officers are following up after court dates. Multiple members urged continued collaboration among code enforcement, the solicitor’s office and the court to reduce recurring violations and clear long-standing dockets. No formal council action was taken on July 14; judges and members agreed to follow up with staff and to schedule a solicitor briefing at a future meeting.