Willard council approves resolution to allow temporary justice court judges

Willard, March 20 — The Willard City Council voted to approve Resolution 20 25, a measure authorizing the appointment of temporary justice court judges to ensure the city’s justice court remains open while the state conducts a process to fill a permanent vacancy. A motion to approve the resolution was made and, according to the meeting record, was moved by Jake and seconded by Mike; a roll-call vote was taken and the motion carried.

The resolution, as described by a council speaker, allows the city to appoint an interim judge to "cover until we can find a permanent judge." Council members said the state will post the vacancy for 30 days, review applications, and form a committee that will include two city representatives; the mayor makes a nomination that the council will then appoint. One council member said the city had been advised to keep more than one temporary judge on the roster so the court can continue when a judge must recuse or is otherwise unavailable.

Council discussion focused on candidate availability and qualifications. Speakers named several potential candidates who had been contacted or discussed by staff, noting that only a few were willing to conduct in-person proceedings while others preferred remote arrangements. Council members raised concerns about familiarity between some judges and local defendants; one attendee said some officers felt a particular judge was "way too cozy with some of our criminals." Other speakers pointed out that some justice court judges are not law-trained (examples discussed in the meeting included judges the speakers identified as Horstel and Nelson) and that state rules have allowed some sitting judges to remain under grandfathering provisions.

Meeting participants also referenced specific potential candidates discussed during the meeting, including Ben Hadfield and Paul Olds (transcript also used the spelling "Paul Holds" in one instance; spelling standardized here to Paul Olds). Council members and staff said they were arranging a meeting with state officials to walk through the permanent-judge selection process and that the state would winnow applicants to the top two or three for the city's final decision.

The council directed staff to finalize the administrative steps needed to implement the resolution. After the vote, members discussed administrative logistics such as printing a clean copy of the signed resolution. The council then moved to close the meeting and adjourn; members voted in favor and the public meeting ended.

The council did not in the public record adopt any additional vetting criteria or name a specific interim judge at the meeting; the state-run vacancy process and a subsequent nomination by the mayor were described as the next steps.