Judge: South Kingstown municipal and housing court resolving nuisance and code cases faster than superior court process

Judge Schulz and court staff briefed the council on the municipal/housing court's first year of operations. The municipal court has issued more than 2,200 tickets (traffic and parking) and remitted required fees to statewide traffic tribunals; town receipts related to municipal-court activity totaled roughly $59,000 through the reporting period, with a portion remitted to the Traffic Tribunal as required by statute.

On housing cases, the judge said many matters begin with notices of violation and often resolve informally without contested hearings; about 43 housing‑code matters were resolved without court hearings, and only one case resulted in a fine after repeated noncompliance. Examples included removal of an abandoned boat with hazards on private property and remediation of debris and hazardous conditions. Staff said the court structure has produced faster resolutions for recurring neighborhood problems that previously took months or years in superior court.

Costs and staffing: Council members asked whether court revenues cover operating costs. Staff said start-up and first‑year costs can outpace fines and fees, but the program aims to become self‑sustaining; the town expects the court's workload and yield to stabilize and for net revenues to improve within a few years, citing comparable municipal-court experiences.

Next steps: The council requested periodic updates and asked staff to continue tracking revenue vs. costs. The judge said the court schedule currently includes traffic court (second Wednesday) and housing court (third Tuesday) sessions and will add special sessions when necessary to manage seasonal parking volume.