Tigard municipal court reports 12,752 cases filed in 2024 and new court-of-record operations
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Summary
Presiding Judge Emily Oberdwerfer and court staff told the council the municipal court became a court of record in September 2024; clerks are cross-trained and the court processed 12,752 cases in 2024, driven largely by photo enforcement.
Tigard’s presiding judge and court staff briefed the City Council on April 22 about municipal-court operations, noting the court became a court of record in September 2024 and processed 12,752 cases in calendar year 2024.
“We are a court of limited jurisdiction,” Judge Emily Oberdwerfer said, explaining the municipal court primarily handles traffic infractions and certain city-ordinance violations. She said the court’s personnel structure now includes two senior clerks, four clerk twos, an administrative assistant and new cross-training to improve continuity of operations.
Court staff said much of the caseload is driven by the city’s photo-enforcement program and that the court has been opening its docket to increase access, including weekly open-court opportunities and monthly sessions for people to complete online traffic safety programs using city laptops and Wi‑Fi.
Oberdwerfer credited information-technology upgrades tied to court-of-record status and praised staff development: clerks are trained to operate the recording system, which creates an auditable record of hearings. The judge said court rules and standard operating procedures will be reviewed and updated to reflect current practices.
Why it matters: Court operations affect residents cited by photo enforcement and other municipal ordinances. The court-of-record transition and staff cross-training aim to improve transparency and service continuity.
What’s next: Staff plan to update court rules and standard operating procedures and to continue public access measures such as open court and free courthouse weddings in June.
