[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council
of the Borough of Paramus 5-14-1969 by Ord. No. 608 (Ch. 16 of the
1969 Code); amended in its entirety 1-25-2005 by Ord. No. 05-1. Subsequent
amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Legal Department — See Ch. 81.
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 2B:12-1,
there shall be established, or reestablished, as the case may be,
within the Borough a municipal court to be known as the “Municipal
Court of the Borough of Paramus," which Court shall constitute an
independent branch of the municipal government, and funded by and
through the municipal budget of the Borough of Paramus. The Municipal
Court of the Borough of Paramus shall constitute a court of inferior
jurisdiction and shall be subject to the jurisdictional limitations
imposed by virtue of N.J.S.A. 2B:12-1 et seq.
The Municipal Court shall have a seal, which
shall bear the impress of the name of the Court.
A.
There shall be a Chief Judge of the Municipal Court
of the Borough of Paramus, who shall be appointed by the Mayor, with
the advice and consent of the Borough Council. The Chief Judge shall
serve for a term of three years from the date of appointment and until
a successor is appointed and qualified. The Municipal Court of the
Borough of Paramus shall be principally administered by the Chief
Judge who, in addition to the judicial functions of the Court, shall
be responsible for the administration of all court-related duties,
including the preparation of the Court's proposed annual budget, as
well as the administration of all court staff and facilities.
B.
In addition to the Chief Judge, there shall be an
Associate Judge of the Municipal Court of the Borough of Paramus,
who shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the advice and consent of
the Borough Council. The Associate Judge shall serve for a term of
three years from the date of appointment and until a successor is
appointed and qualified. The Associate Judge shall administer those
duties and perform those judicial functions as may be, from time to
time, directed by the Chief Judge.
The persons appointed as Chief Judge and Associate
Judge of the Municipal Court of the Borough of Paramus shall have
the following qualifications:
A.
Be a resident of the State of New Jersey and an attorney
at law in good standing and admitted to practice in the State of New
Jersey for at least five years prior to the time of appointment. The
judicial appointee need not be a resident of the Borough of Paramus.
B.
Be a person who is qualified under any law or court
rule to hold the office of Municipal Court Judge, as that office is
defined by N.J.S.A. 2B:12-4.
The Chief Judge and Associate Judge of the Municipal
Court shall be compensated by an annual salary in lieu of any and
all other fees, costs and allowances.
A.
The Municipal Court shall have a Court Administrator
who shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the advice and consent of
the Council.
[Amended 8-10-2009 by Ord. No. 09-17]
B.
The Court Administrator shall be compensated by an
annual salary which shall be fixed and paid in the manner provided
by ordinance adopted by the Borough Council. The Court Administrator
shall serve for a term of one year from the date of his appointment
and until a successor is appointed and qualified.
C.
The Municipal Court shall also have a Deputy Court
Administrator and such other Municipal Court personnel as may be deemed
to be necessary by the Chief Judge. The Deputy Court Administrator
and such other Municipal Court personnel shall be appointed by the
Mayor, with the advice and consent of the Borough Council. The Deputy
Court Administrator and such other Municipal Court personnel shall
serve for terms of one year from the date of their appointments and
until their successors are appointed and qualified. The Deputy Court
Administrator and such other Municipal Court personnel shall perform
such duties and services pertaining to the Court and the business
thereof as may be designated, from time to time, by the Chief Judge.
The Deputy Court Administrator and such other Municipal Court personnel
shall be compensated by an annual salary which shall be fixed and
paid in the manner provided by ordinance adopted by the Borough Council.
D.
In addition to the duties, services and responsibilities
set forth above, the Court Administrator, Deputy Court Administrator
and such other Municipal Court personnel as may be deemed necessary
by the Chief Judge shall attend all sessions of the Municipal Court
and the examinations, trials and proceedings conducted therein.
A.
Each person submitting to the Paramus Municipal Court
an application fee for representation by the attorneys-at-law paid
as public defenders by the Borough of Paramus shall be required to
pay to the Paramus Municipal Court an application fee of between $50
and $200, which fee shall be nonrefundable and kept by the Court regardless
of whether the application is approved and counsel supplied.
[Amended 5-24-2011 by Ord. No. 11-17]
B.
The Judge of the Municipal Court may waive any required
application fee, in whole or in part, if the Judge determines, in
his or her discretion, that the application fee represents an unreasonable
burden on the person seeking representation under the circumstances
of that person's particular case.
