[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Lawrence 12-26-2000. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Pursuant to the authority granted by Chapter 755 of the Wisconsin Statutes, there is hereby created and established a Joint Municipal Court to be designated "Municipal Court for the Village of Hobart and the Town of Lawrence," said court to become operative and function on January 1, 2001.
[1]
Editor's Note: Throughout this chapter, references to the Town of Hobart were amended to the Village of Hobart 4-25-2016.
[Amended 4-25-2016; 5-8-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-002]
A. 
Qualifications. The Joint Court shall be under the jurisdiction of and presided over by a Municipal Judge who resides in the Village of Hobart or the Town of Lawrence.
B. 
Oath and bond. The Judge shall, after election or appointment to fill a vacancy, take and file the official oath as prescribed in § 757.02(1), Wis. Stats., and at the same time execute and file an official bond in the amount of $10,000. The Judge shall not act until the oath and bond have been filed and the requirements of § 755.03(2), Wis. Stats., have been complied with.
C. 
Salary. The salary of the Municipal Judge shall be fixed by the Boards of the municipalities that are parties to the agreement, which shall be in lieu of fees and costs. No salary shall be paid for any time during the term during which such Judge has not executed the official bond or official oath, and filed as required by § 755.03, Wis. Stats. The municipalities may by separate ordinance allocate funds for the administration of the Municipal Court pursuant to § 66.0301, Wis. Stats.
A. 
Term. The Municipal Judge shall be elected at large for a term of four years commencing on May 1 in a spring election. All candidates for the position of Municipal Judge shall be nominated by nomination papers as provided in § 8.10, Wis. Stats., and selection at a primary election if such is held as provided in § 8.11, Wis. Stats. The State Elections Board shall serve as filing officer for the candidates. The initial Judge of the Hobart-Lawrence Municipal Court shall be appointed by the Village Board of the Village of Hobart and shall serve until May 1, 2002, at which time the first elected Municipal Judge shall take office.
[Amended 4-25-2016]
B. 
Electors. Electors in the Village of Hobart and Town of Lawrence shall vote for Judge.
A. 
The Municipal Court shall have jurisdiction over incidents occurring on or after January 1, 2001, as provided in Article VII, § 14, of the Wisconsin Constitution, §§ 755.045 and 755.05, Wis. Stats., and as otherwise provided by state law. In addition, it shall have exclusive jurisdiction over actions in the Village of Hobart and Town of Lawrence seeking to impose forfeitures for violations of municipal ordinances of the Village of Hobart and the Town of Lawrence, their resolutions and bylaws.
B. 
The Municipal Judge may issue civil warrants to enforce matters under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Court under §§ 755.045(2) and 66.0119, Wis. Stats.
C. 
The Municipal Court has jurisdiction over juvenile offenders when the Village of Hobart or Town of Lawrence enacts an ordinance under the authority of § 938.17(2)(cm), Wis. Stats.
A. 
Hours. The Municipal Court shall be open at such location and at such times as determined by the governing bodies of the Village of Hobart and Town of Lawrence, and the Municipal Judge.
B. 
Employees. The Judge shall, in writing, appoint such clerks and deputy clerks as are authorized and funded by the Boards of the Village of Hobart and the Town of Lawrence.
[Amended 4-25-2016]
[Amended 4-25-2016]
The Municipal Judge may impose punishment and sentences as provided by Chapters 800 and 938, Wis. Stats., and as provided in the ordinances of the Village of Hobart and Town of Lawrence. All forfeitures, fees, assessments, surcharges and costs shall be paid to the Clerk/Treasurer of the municipality within which the case arose within 30 days after receipt of the money by the Municipal Court. At the time of the payment, the Municipal Court shall report to the Clerk/Treasurer the title of the action, the nature of the offenses and total amount of judgments imposed in actions and proceedings in which such monies were collected.
[Amended 4-25-2016]
The Municipal Judge, after affording an opportunity to the person accused to be heard in defense, may impose a sanction authorized under § 800.12, Wis. Stats., and may impose a forfeiture therefor not to exceed $200 or, upon nonpayment of the forfeiture and the assessments thereon, a jail sentence not to exceed seven days.
The Municipal Court hereby established shall not be abolished while the § 755.01(4), Wis. Stats., agreement is in effect.