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Joint court could be just the ticket

WHITEWATER — UW-Whitewater students who receive citations from campus police soon won’t have to drive to Elkhorn or Jefferson to contest their tickets or pay their fines.

The city and university are proposing a joint municipal court system—the first in the state if UW System officials approve the agreement.

“By allowing (citations issued on campus) to go through a municipal court rather than the state court system represents a much-needed convenience for students,” said Randy Marnocha, vice chancellor for administrative affairs.

Municipal court appearances are in the evening rather than during the day, when most students have class, and are held at the courthouse in downtown Whitewater, which eliminates the drive to Elkhorn or Jefferson.

There are financial benefits for the city and university, too, said City Manager Kevin Brunner.

“Instead of having (fines and forfeitures) go to the respective county, why not keep them locally and share them?” he said.

Under the agreement, the city would retain 80 percent of the net income derived from fines and forfeitures collected on campus-issued citations; the university would receive the remaining 20 percent.

Campus police also won’t have to travel to Elkhorn or Jefferson for circuit court appearances, which means less time away from campus and less overtime.

The city estimates the municipal court workload will increase about 30 percent, and Brunner proposed increasing the judge’s salary $3,000 to compensate, putting his annual salary at $22,000. The city anticipates the municipal court clerk should be able to handle the increased workload, but if she can’t, the city could hire a part-time assistant, Brunner said.

The city estimates the revenues from fines and forfeitures collected on campus-issued citations would be about $64,000 annually.

Marnocha said the joint system will bring consistency to how citations are handled in Whitewater.

“When a ticket is issued in the community, it’s treated one way by the local court, and when a ticket is issued on campus, it’s treated a different way by the state court,” he said. “A joint municipal court will ensure that everybody who receives a ticket in this town is treated the same way.”

Citations issued on campus now are violations of state statute, which is why they are prosecuted through the circuit court system. But to initiate the joint municipal court, the campus would adopt municipal ordinance, and citations issued on campus would be violations of municipal ordinance.

The city attorney and attorneys for the UW System have said that’s feasible, Brunner said.

The joint municipal court is slated to be up and running by Aug. 1, pending approval from the UW System.

WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING?

When a ticket is issued on the UW-Whitewater campus and is adjudicated through the Walworth County Circuit Court system, here’s how the fines and forfeitures break down for a speeding ticket:

Court costs: $25.

Court support service fee: $68.

Justice information fee: $12.

Walworth County Jail: $10.

Crime lab and drug surcharge: $8.

Penalties: 26 percent of the forfeiture.

Forfeiture: varies based on the violation.

When a ticket is issued on the UW-Whitewater campus and is adjudicated through the Whitewater Municipal Court system, here’s how the fines and forfeitures break down for a speeding ticket:

Municipal court costs: $23.

State court costs: $5.

Walworth County Jail: $10.

Crime lab and drug surcharge: $8.

Penalties: 26 percent of the forfeiture.

Forfeiture to city: 80 percent of the total forfeiture, which varies based on the violation.

Forfeiture to university: 20 percent of the total forfeiture, which varies based on the violation.