JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – To help ensure public input into improving Missouri’s municipal court divisions, the Supreme Court of Missouri’s municipal division work group has scheduled the second of three public hearings for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, November 12, 2015, in the ceremonial courtroom of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Old Post Office, 815 Olive Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63101. A court reporter will record the proceedings.

At the hearing, the work group welcomes public testimony about the current practices in Missouri’s municipal court divisions and thoughtful suggestions for improving those divisions. The work group is particularly interested in comments addressing the following issues:

• Propriety of judges, prosecutors and staff serving in different capacities in multiple municipal divisions;
• Consolidation of municipal divisions, including any authority of the Supreme Court to mandate consolidation;
• Use of warrants, process for setting bonds and time of incarceration; and
• Enforceability of judgments and remedies for nonpayment.

Please note the work group is unable to consider matters pertaining to a particular case or outcome, nor are its members able to offer legal advice about how to proceed in a particular municipal division case.

To accommodate all individuals wishing to testify, testimony will be time-limited and must be pertinent to improving the operation of the municipal court divisions generally.

The work group also will accept written testimony. Please send written comments to the work group by e-mail to MunicipalWorkGroup@courts.mo.gov, by facsimile to (573) 751-7514 or by regular postal mail to Work Group Comments, Supreme Court of Missouri, Post Office Box 150, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102.

Should you need accommodations, please contact the work group by telephone at (573) 751-0178.

The work group expects to hold a third public hearing in December in Kansas City. Details for that hearing still are being arranged.

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