MACEDONIA – Responding to a request from Stow City Council for five Summit County communities to close their mayor’s courts, Mayor Nick Molnar announced at the December 9 council meeting that he did not have the intention to close the city court.

“If they try to force us to close, we will fight them,” Molnar said.

Two other communities under the jurisdiction of Stow Municipal Court – Cuyahoga Falls and Munroe Falls – also said they did not intend to comply with the request.

“For me, they are looking for a way to finance a building that is much too big and [a court] that was underfunded, and now they’re trying to make up for that, ”Molnar said. “I’m not going to help facilitate this.”

Molnar pointed out that having a mayor’s yard is much more convenient and less costly for local residents facing tickets. “They don’t have to drive to Stow and they don’t have to pay what I think are exorbitant fines,” he said.

“The mayor of Cuyahoga Falls told me that the average fine in his court is around $ 83, while Stow City Court charges over $ 300. It makes sense to keep him here. “

The mayor noted that the Stow Council legislation “is only a suggestion; it is not binding. We are a very fair mayor’s court and we try to work things out with those who are mentioned. There are so many benefits to having a court here, including officers who don’t have to drive to Stow. “

“Municipal courts are abused in the media, but they are an essential part of the system,” added Legal Director Mark Guidettti. “Municipal courts are a necessary part of the system, but they are also a large bureaucracy. “

The Cuyahoga Falls and Munroe Falls Mayor’s Courts began after the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court moved to Stow in 2009. Both courts have been popular with citizens for their convenience and cheaper fines, their mayors said.

Stow City Councilor Steve Hailer introduced the resolution, which was passed unanimously recently, after a nine-month investigation into the city court’s finances and business model.

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“We don’t have the right to tell them what to do, and I agree with that, but I know that when you think about it there is a better way,” he said.

Its investigation was prompted by the city’s controversial 2021 budget process, which focused heavily on the city court’s projected $ 1.2 million deficit that has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northfield Village and Boston Heights also have mayor’s courts. These mayors did not respond to a request for comment from the Beacon Journal.

The Stow Court also covers the Township of Boston, Hudson, Peninsula, Reminderville, Sagamore Hills, Silver Lake, Stow, Tallmadge, Twinsburg and Northfield Center and the Townships of Twinsburg.

In a five-page report, Hailer argued that it would be “in everyone’s best interest” to suspend the mayor’s courts because they are redundant and take away the easier revenues, such as tickets, of the municipal court.

He also noted that city courts, which are not archival courts, are illegal in 48 states, with Ohio and Louisiana being the only exceptions. The American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns about the fairness of justice in mayor’s courts in a 2017 complaint.

OTHER BUSINESS

The Council sent for second reading the amendments to the property maintenance code concerning the storage of unusable and unlicensed vehicles.

The code will incorporate certain regulations of the International Property Maintenance Code. “This will give us more teeth to enforce our code,” said building manager Bob Rodic.

The following additional language has been proposed:

“Except as provided for in other regulations, inoperative or unregistered motor vehicles must be parked, preserved or stored in premises, and no vehicle must at any time be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair or during disassembly or disassembly. .

“Painting of vehicles is prohibited unless it is done inside an approved spray booth. A vehicle of any type is authorized to undergo a major overhaul, including bodywork work, provided that such work is carried out inside a structure designed and approved for this purpose.

Meanwhile, the board agreed to purchase six Dodge Durangos for the Greve Chrysler Jeep Dodge Van Wert Police Department at a cost of $ 360,000.

Police Chief Jon Golden said the city plans to replace several high-mileage cruisers next year, but no Ohio dealers are participating in Ohio’s vehicle tendering program due to severe manufacturing shortages and Greve has several available now.

Molnar said the city is looking to purchase a new senior transportation bus for about $ 110,000, of which $ 75,000 will come from a grant. CFO John Veres said tax revenue was up about $ 1.3 million (10%) from the amount forecast this year.

Contact the newspaper at [email protected] Beacon Journal reporter Krista Kano contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Macedonian mayor said local court would not be phased out