Resident urges review of city court procedures; council to consult attorney

Resident Matthew Harrison read a prepared statement alleging problems with the city court—s procedures, the police department's recordkeeping and training, and apparent violations of street-sign requirements. He asked that his remarks be entered verbatim into the minutes; Clerk Amy Tucker said minutes are a summary and that his full statement would be kept on file at the office for anyone to read.

Mayor Randy Jones noted the League of Kansas Municipalities advises that the mayor and council should not be involved in the working of the court and said the council would consult the city attorney about the matter. Ken Collins and Amy Tucker described current court practices: Collins suggested checking radar calibrations and Amy (who also serves as court clerk) explained that defendants who had charges amended had pleaded guilty or no-contest and asked the prosecutor to consider amendment to avoid insurance impacts; she said they agreed to pay double the fine in those cases.

The council did not take immediate action and directed that attorney consultation would be sought to clarify appropriate council involvement and any required follow-up.