Staff recommends reappointing City Judge Jessica Bourne to a four-year term

Staff recommended reappointing Jessica Bourne to another four-year term as Franklin City court judge during the board—usiness work session.

At the July work session, the meeting chair introduced Ordinance 20 26-14 to reappoint Jessica Bourne as city judge. Eric Stuckey told aldermen the position is a four-year term and that "she's done an outstanding job as our city court judge," and said staff recommended reappointment. The city court clerk told the board the judge's current term is set to expire on September 1 and that staff "has thoroughly enjoyed working with her these last 4 years," adding that many defendants have complimented the judge's calm demeanor and educational approach.

Why it matters: Reappointing the city judge affects how Franklin City Court handles municipal cases and defendant interactions for the next term; staff framed the matter as a performance-based recommendation rather than a controversial personnel decision.

Details and context: The ordinance before the board was identified as 20 26-14 and staff said the four-year term is standard. The city court clerk said Judge Bourne expressed a desire to continue serving and that staff had received positive feedback from court participants about her approach. The work session record shows discussion and recommendation; no formal vote or final action on the ordinance was recorded in the transcript of the work session.

Next steps: Staff presented the recommendation for aldermanic feedback; the transcript does not record a formal vote at this meeting, and no procedural deadline or subsequent meeting date for final action was specified in the work session record.