A Municipal Court for the Borough of Ridgefield,
in the County of Bergen, is established as of January 1, 1949, pursuant
to the provisions of Chapter 264 of the Laws of 1948, as amended and
supplemented.
The name of said Municipal Court shall be "Municipal
Court of the Borough of Ridgefield."
The Municipal Court shall have a Seal which
shall bear the impress of the name of the Court.
There shall be a Municipal Magistrate of said
Municipal Court, who shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice
and consent of the Council and who shall serve for a term of three
years from the date of his appointment and until his successor is
appointed and qualified; provided, however, that the Recorder who
shall be in office upon this chapter becoming effective shall be the
Municipal Magistrate and shall continue to be such Municipal Magistrate
for a term equal to the balance of the term for which he was originally
appointed.
The Municipal Magistrate shall receive an annual
salary which shall be determined by the Council and shall be paid
in the same manner as the salaries of other municipal officers are
paid and which shall be in lieu of all fees, costs and any other allowances
whatsoever.
Said Municipal Court and the Municipal Magistrate
thereof shall have, possess and exercise all the functions, powers,
duties and jurisdiction conferred by the provisions of Chapter 264
of the Laws of 1948, as amended and supplemented, or by any other
law.
There shall be a Clerk of the Municipal Court,
who shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of
the Council and who shall serve for a term of one year from the date
of his appointment and until his successor is appointed and qualified.
The Clerk of the Municipal Court shall receive an annual salary which
shall be determined by the Council and shall be paid in the same manner
as the salaries of other municipal officers are paid and which shall
be in lieu of all fees, costs and any other allowances whatsoever. He shall perform such functions and duties as shall be
prescribed for him by law, the rules applicable to Municipal Courts
and by the Municipal Magistrate.
[Amended 2-12-2001 by Ord. No. 1731; 7-23-2001 by Ord. No.
1753; 8-17-2020 by Ord. No. 2387; 4-10-2023 by Ord. No. 2453; 5-8-2023 by Ord. No. 2455]
The Municipal Court shall be held in the Municipal
Complex. The Municipal Magistrate shall sit from 4:30 p.m. until the
calendar is completed on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month
and at such other times as the business of the Court may require,
subject to the rules applicable to Municipal Courts.
[Added 9-28-1998 by Ord. No. 1637]
A. In the event that a person appearing before the Municipal Court of the Borough of Ridgefield applies for representation by a Municipal Public Defender or Court-approved counsel, it shall be a requirement for such appointment that any such person applying for representation by a Municipal Public Defender or Court-approved counsel shall pay an application fee of $200 to the Municipal Court of the Borough of Ridgefield, except as set forth in Subsection
B hereof.
B. In accordance with guidelines promulgated by the Supreme
Court, the Municipal Court of the Borough of Ridgefield may waive
any required application fee, in whole or in part, only if the Court
determines, in its discretion, upon a clear and convincing showing
by the applicant, that the application fee represents an unreasonable
burden on the person seeking representation. The Municipal Court may
permit a person to pay the application fee over a specific period
of time, not to exceed four months.
[Added 11-22-2004 by Ord. No. 1900]
A. All requests for discovery in matters pending in the
Ridgefield Municipal Court shall be submitted through the Municipal
Prosecutor.
B. The following fees shall be payable by the requestor
to the Borough of Ridgefield for the discovery provided:
(1) For each of the first 10 pages photocopied: $0.75
per page.
(2) For each of the next 10 pages photocopied: $0.50 per
page.
(3) For each of the pages photocopied thereafter: $0.25
per page.
(4) Actual postage for any discovery sent by mail.
(5) For the envelope for any discovery sent by mail: $0.25.
(6) Photographs will be photocopied at the rates established
herein. If requests are made for duplicate photographs, the actual
cost of making the photographs shall be charged
(7) Duplication of videotapes constitutes an extraordinary
duplication process and will be charged at the rate of $5 per videotape.
(8) On any item that cannot be photographed on the Borough
copy machine or not otherwise provided for in this schedule, the actual
cost incurred in making the copy shall be charged.
C. Where the discovery must be obtained from an entity
other than the Borough of Ridgefield, e.g., another police department,
the actual costs paid to the other entity shall be paid by the requestor.