The city council hereby establishes the Nolanville Municipal Court as a municipal court of record in order to provide a more efficient disposition of cases arising in the city, and in order to more effectively enforce the ordinances of the city. The municipal court shall become a court of record from and after the effective date of this article and shall be known as the “Municipal Court of Record in the City of Nolanville.”
(Ordinance D20-05 #1 adopted 5/21/20)
(a) 
The court has all such jurisdiction as is provided to municipal courts by section 29.003, Texas Government Code.
(b) 
The court has jurisdiction over criminal cases arising under ordinances authorized by sections 215.072, 217.042, 341.903, and 551.002, Local Government Code.
(c) 
The court has concurrent jurisdiction with a justice court in any precinct in which the municipality is located in criminal cases that arise within the territorial limits of the city and are punishable by fine only.
(d) 
The court has civil jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing municipal ordinances enacted under subchapter A, chapter 214, Texas Local Government Code, or subchapter E, chapter 683, Texas Transportation Code.
(e) 
The court has concurrent jurisdiction with a district court or a county court at law under subchapter B, chapter 54, Texas Local Government Code, within the city’s territorial limits and property owned by the city located in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances.
(f) 
The court has authority to issue:
(1) 
Search warrants for the purpose of investigating a health and safety or nuisance abatement ordinance violation; and
(2) 
Seizure warrants for the purpose of securing, removing, or demolishing the offending property and removing the debris from the premises.
(g) 
The court has concurrent jurisdiction with a district court and a justice court over expunction proceedings relating to the arrest of a person for an offense punishable by fine only.
(Ordinance D20-11 #1 adopted 11/5/20)
This municipal court of record is established pursuant to the authority granted in subchapter A, chapter 30, of the Texas Government Code, known as the Uniform Municipal Courts of Record Act, and the terms set forth therein are hereby adopted governing the operation of said court.
The presiding judge of the municipal court of record in the city shall be appointed by the city council by ordinance for a term of two (2) years. The municipal judge must be a licensed attorney in good standing in the state and must have two or more years of experience in the practice of law in the state. The judge must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the state. The city council shall establish the salary of the judge, which shall not be based directly or indirectly on fines, fees, or costs collected by the court. Such salary may not be diminished during the term for which the judge is appointed. The presiding judge shall direct the court clerk to maintain a central docket for all cases filed within the territorial limits of the city over which the municipal court of record has jurisdiction.
If a vacancy occurs in the office of a municipal judge of a court of record, the city council shall by ordinance appoint a qualified person to fill the office for the remainder of the unexpired term. The city council may appoint one or more qualified persons as an associate judge to be available to serve for a municipal judge who is temporarily absent due to illness, family death, continuing legal or judicial education programs, or any other reason. The presiding municipal judge shall select one of the qualified persons appointed by the city council to serve during the absence of the presiding municipal judge. The associate judge, while serving as a municipal judge, has all the powers and shall discharge all the duties of a municipal judge. An associate judge must meet the qualifications prescribed for the municipal judge.
The presiding municipal judge shall supervise and control the operation and clerical functions of the administrative department of the municipal court, including the court’s personnel, during the proceedings or docket of the court. At all other times, the operation and clerical functions of the administrative department of the municipal court shall be under the supervision and direction of the city manager.
The city manager shall appoint a clerk of the municipal court of record who shall perform duties in accordance with state law and city ordinances. During proceedings of the court, the clerk and other court personnel shall serve at the direction of the municipal judge. At all other times they shall serve at the direction and supervision of the city manager who shall have the authority to remove the court clerk or other court personnel according to rules set forth in the city’s personnel policies. The clerk of the municipal court of record shall keep the records of the municipal court of record, issue process, and perform the duties described in section 30.00009 of the Texas Government Code.
The proceedings of trials in the municipal court of record shall be recorded by a good quality electronic recording device and kept for a period of twenty-one days after the last day of the court proceedings, trial, or denial of a motion for new trial, whichever occurs last. If the case is appealed, the proceedings shall be transcribed from the recording by an official court reporter. The municipal court clerk shall appoint a court reporter who must meet the qualifications provided by law for official court reporters, who shall transcribe a statement of facts from the audio recording of the trial proceedings for the appellant to use for an appeal, and the defendant shall pay all costs incurred to prepare said transcription of the statement of facts directly to the official court reporter.
The court clerk shall supervise the selection of persons for jury service in the municipal court of record.
(a) 
The municipal court may enforce the collection of fines imposed by it, by execution against the property of the defendant, or by imprisonment of the defendant, in the same manner as provided for justice courts by the laws of the state, including issuance of writs of execution and warrants of arrest in furtherance thereof.
(b) 
No court costs shall be assessed in, or charged against any defendant in, or cause pending in, the municipal court except as authorized in this section or as expressly authorized by state law.
(c) 
A fine not to exceed $25.00 may be assessed and collected for an offense under section 38.10(e), Penal Code, or under section 543.009, Transportation Code.
(d) 
Any other costs, fines, dismissal fees, municipal court building security fee, municipal court technology fee or special expenses as are now or shall be hereafter expressly authorized by state law to be collected by municipal courts may be assessed, including costs incident to appeals from said courts.
(Ordinance D20-05 #1 adopted 5/21/20)