Court is back in session in Plumsted Township after a shared services agreement with Allentown was created to handle the judicial needs of both municipalities.
Several months after officials in both towns approved the agreement, Plumsted has a full-time court administrator in place and Allentown has a venue for its court proceedings.
The revived Plumsted municipal court was expected to meet for the first time today, July 23.
Since 2013, individuals who ran afoul of the law in Plumsted have had to travel to Lakehurst for their municipal court hearings. Plumsted ended its municipal court operations when its previous court administrator resigned to pursue a full-time position in another municipality.
Shortly after she left, Plumsted officials entered into a shared services agreement with Lakehurst to send its municipal court cases to that neighboring community.
Now, with a municipal court re-established in Plumsted, Allentown and Plumsted will employ court administrator Sarah Hoffman on a full-time basis.
“We are excited to have court back in our township again,” Plumsted Mayor Jack Trotta said. “I know it has taken a little longer than we had hoped.”
Judge Damian Murray will preside over the municipal court.
According to Trotta, Plumsted’s representatives approached Allentown officials several years ago to discuss the idea of sharing a municipal court. The deal was sealed in April, he said.
In accordance with the agreement, Allentown is considered the lead agency and will provide employee benefits and serve as the sole employer of the court administrator’s position. Allentown will also provide two part-time employees for court sessions and an emergency backup deputy court administrator. The employees will work at the Plumsted municipal building.
Allentown is expected to pay two-thirds of the court administrator’s approximate $48,000 annual salary, with Plumsted expected to pay the remaining amount. Both parties will pay the municipal court staff an hourly rate for court sessions.
Trotta said Plumsted officials made an appropriation for all related costs with the shared services agreement when the 2015 municipal budget was drawn up earlier this year by setting aside $20,000.
Allentown will be permitted to use the municipal courtroom in Plumsted at no charge.
Allentown holds its court proceedings on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. Plumsted holds its court proceedings on the third Thursday of each month.
In accordance with state regulations, each municipality will create and maintain a general court account and a bail account.
Both parties will also “maintain a dedicated fund for Parking Offenses Adjudication Act funds and Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation and Enforcement (DWI) funds, which will be made available to their respective municipal courts.”
Trotta said representatives of Plumsted and Allentown will meet yearly to assess the agreement and adjust it as they see fit.
“After we have had some experience with this agreement between the two of us, we will be looking at any potential percentage changes,” the mayor said. “They might be paying more or we might be paying more, depending on what the court volume between us is.”