The municipal court shall have jurisdiction over all offenses
and complaints under the provisions of this code and ordinances of
the town and may issue subpoenas and warrants and punish for contempt.
Upon
a plea of guilty or a judgment of conviction for violation of a municipal
ordinance, the municipal court may suspend in whole or in part the
execution of sentence or place the defendant on probation for a period
not exceeding one year on terms and conditions the court deems best,
or both.
Suspension
of execution of the sentence or probation, or both, shall be granted
only when the municipal judge is satisfied it will serve the ends
of justice and of the public.
The
municipal court may as a condition of probation require the defendant
to serve a period of time in volunteer labor to be known as community
service. The type of labor and period of service shall be at the sole
discretion of the court; provided, that any person receiving community
service shall be immune from any civil liability other than gross
negligence arising out of the community service, and any person who
performs community service pursuant to court order or any criminal
diversion program shall not be entitled to any wages, shall not be
considered an employee for any purpose, and shall not be entitled
to workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits or any other
benefits otherwise provided by law. As used in this section, “community
service” means any labor that benefits the public at large or
any public, charitable or educational entity or institution.