[Adopted 11-13-2003 by Ord. No. 25-2003 ]
The name of the Municipal Court shall be "Municipal
Court of the Township of Hanover." The Municipal Court shall have
a seal bearing the impress of the name of the Court. The Court shall
convene in the Main Meeting Room of the Municipal Building or such
other place as the Township Committee designates from time to time.
The compensation of the Municipal Judge and
other personnel as may be required to administer the functions of
the Municipal Court shall be such sums as may be established by the
Township Committee in the annual Salary Ordinance pertaining to the
salaries and rates of compensation of all Township officials and employees.
Said compensation shall be in lieu of any and all other fees.
Before exercising the duties of their offices,
the Municipal Judge, Certified Municipal Court Administrator, Deputy
Court Administrators and Violations Clerk shall enter into a bond
as required by law.
Working under the general supervision of the
Municipal Court Judge with regard to Court matters, the staff of the
Violations Bureau (i.e., the Certified Municipal Court Administrator,
Deputy Court Administrator(s) and Violations Clerk) shall perform
a variety of duties, tasks and activities, including but not limited
to the following:
A. Assists the Municipal Court Judge during courtroom
proceedings, including recordkeeping and the collection, receipt and
accounting of fines, Court costs and bail moneys which may be paid
into or deposited with the Court; maintains all courtroom transcriptions
of proceedings.
B. Prepares the Court calendar and schedule of cases.
C. Receives and replies to correspondence; maintains
all Court records and processes requests for copies of documents.
D. Prepares statistical and financial reports, monthly
and annually as required by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
E. Processes all traffic and criminal complaints.
F. Performs telephone and counter information services,
answering inquiries, issuing Court forms, explaining procedures and
forms to parties in cases and mailing notices and/or warrants to litigants.
G. Coordinates with law enforcement personnel and the
Municipal Prosecutor in the scheduling and disposition of cases, including
the preparation of cases to be forwarded to the County Prosecutor
and cases to be appealed.
H. Prepares and processes complaints on-call after business
hours and on weekends.
I. Issues summons books to police officers.
J. Perform such other duties and services pertinent to
the Municipal Court as may be required by the Municipal Court Judge,
the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Supreme Court of New
Jersey and the laws of the state.
The Certified Municipal Court Administrator,
Deputy Court Administrator(s) and Violations Clerk shall not engage
in any political activity, nor shall they make any financial contributions
to any local political campaign.
[Adopted 1-22-1998 by Ord. No. 1-98]
There is hereby created the position of Public
Defender for the Township of Hanover. The person selected to serve
as Municipal Public Defender shall be an attorney at law of the State
of New Jersey in good standing. It shall be the duty of the Municipal
Public Defender to represent, except in the case of temporary unavailability
or conflict of interest, any defendant charged with an offense in
Municipal Court who is an indigent municipal defendant entitled to
representation. All necessary services and facilities of representation,
including both expert and lay investigation and testimony, as well
as other preparation, shall be provided in every case. The municipality
shall be responsible for the payment of these services; and, the final
determination as to the necessity for services required shall be made
by the Court; except, however, that the Township is not responsible
for the payment of expert and lay investigations until March 22, 1999,
one year after the effective date of P.L. 1997, c. 256 (March 22,
1998).
Funds collected in accordance with provisions of §
17-9 shall be deposited in a dedicated fund administered by the Township's Chief Municipal Finance Officer. Such funds shall be used exclusively to meet the costs incurred in providing the services of the Municipal Public Defender, including, when required, expert and lay investigation and testimony.