The Municipal Judge shall be the judicial officer of the City. He/she shall hold within the City a court known as the Municipal Court for the City of Yamhill, Yamhill County, Oregon. The Court shall be open for the transaction of judicial business at times specified by the Council. All area within the City shall be within the territorial jurisdiction of the Court. The Municipal Judge shall exercise original and exclusive jurisdiction of all crimes and offenses defined and made punishable by ordinances of the City, and of actions brought to recover or enforce forfeitures or penalties defined or authorized by ordinances of the City. He/she shall have the authority to issue process for the arrest of any person accused of an offense against the ordinances of the City, to commit any such person to jail or admit him/her to bail pending trial, to issue subpoenas, to compel witnesses to appear and testify in court on the trial of any cause before him/her, to compel obedience to such subpoenas, to issue any process necessary to carry into effect the judgments of the Court, and to punish witnesses and others for contempt of court. When not governed by ordinances, or Charter, all proceedings in the Municipal Court for the violation of a City ordinance shall be governed by the applicable general laws of the state governing justices of the peace and justice courts. Trials in the Municipal Court of cases for violation of City ordinances shall be had without juries, when not otherwise required by the Constitution of Laws of the State of Oregon.
(City Charter, Chapter V, Section 21)
All fines and penalties imposed for violation of City ordinances may be enforced by action against the offender brought before the Municipal Court, and all judgments rendered in such cases shall be for the amount of the fine and the cost of the action.
(Ord. 2 §1, 1913; Ord. 300 §1, 1977; Ord. 431 §1, 1998)
When any person against whom a fine and costs are adjudged is unable to pay the same or shall refuse to do so, he/she may be sentenced to labor to accommodate such fine and costs in accordance with the City's schedule of fees and penalties as approved through resolution of the City Council. Such person shall labor under the supervision of City employees or officers or any other person in charge of City improvements.
(Ord. 2 §2, 1913; Ord. 219 §1, 1962; Ord. 300 §2, 1977; Ord. 369 §1, 1986; Ord. 431 §1, 1998; Ord. 446 §2, 1998)
Whenever the City maintains a civil action or suit to enforce any requirements or prohibitions of a City ordinance or resolution the City is authorized to recover attorney's fees, costs and disbursements necessarily incurred in such action or suit or appeal thereof as allowed by the Court. Such attorney's fees, costs and disbursements shall constitute a lien, valid and subsisting upon the real property or personal property which is the subject of, or in any way connected with, the suit or action or owned by the defendants.
(Ord. 347 §1, 1984; Ord. 431 §1, 1998)
Whenever the Municipal Court imposes a fine or orders a bail for forfeiture as a penalty for violation of any City ordinances of this City, the Court shall collect court costs, in accordance with the City's schedule of fees as approved through resolution of the City Council, in addition to such fine or bail forfeiture.
(Ord. 400 §1, 1993; Ord. 431 §1, 1998; Ord. 446 §4, 1998)