03-9312r
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RESOLUTION NO. 9312
A RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED CLOSURE
OF ANY SUBURBAN DIVISION COURTHOUSE
OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Richfield is the official governing body
of the City of Richfield, a municipal corporation organized under the home rule
provisions of the laws of the State of Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, the Court Administrator for the Fourth Judicial District serving
Richfield announced at the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee on February 27,
2003, that the closure of one or more of the suburban division courthouses was a
possible response to proposed state funding decreases; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes Section 488A.01, subdivision 9, requires that the
municipal building commission, or the county of Hennepin, or both, provide suitable
quarters for the holding of regular terms of court in Minneapolis, a south suburban
location, and at such other northern and western suburban locations disbursed
throughout the county as may be designated by a majority of the judges of the court;
and
WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes Section 3838.65, subdivision 2, provides that
the county of Hennepin's relocation of the court serving the City of Richfield requires it
to provide suitable quarters forthe holding of regular terms of court in a southern
suburban location within the county; and
WHEREAS, the Division IV Courthouse for the Fourth Judicial District, located at
7009 York Avenue, Edina, Minnesota, currently provides suitable quarters for the
holding of regular terms of court in a southern suburban location within the county
serving the City of Richfield; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richfield, through its City Attorney's office, filed hundreds
of petty misdemeanor, misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases at Division IV
Hennepin County Courthouse, and at that location made at least twice weekly full-day
court appearances on those cases involving citizen victims, witnesses, City police
officers and prosecutors during calendar year 2002; and
WHEREAS, the south suburban, Division IV Hennepin County courthouse
processed at least 16,370 court filings in year 2002 for the six communities it already
serves (St. Louis Park, Edina, Richfield, Eden Prairie, MAC and Richfield), the western
suburban, Division III, courthouse processed at least 11, 081 court filings and the
northern suburban, Division II, courthouse processed at least 12,573 court filings in year
2002, it is inevitable that the closure of anyone of the three Hennepin County Division
courthouses would adversely affect the remaining suburban courthouses to which those
cases would be reallocated, each of which is already running at capacity; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richfield's police department must make daily trips to the
courthouse serving the City of Richfield with case filings, criminal reports, and other I
duties on its misdemeanor and0ros~ misdemeanor cases, in addition to police officer
witness trips to the courthouse for the purpose of offering testimony at those hearings
and trials of these criminal cases; and,
WHEREAS, the closure of the Division IV Hennepin County courthouse or any of
the other Hennepin County Division courthouses will deprive the citizens of the City of
Richfield of convenient, suitable access to cQurt system of the Fourth Judicial District
and increase the City's costs of providing police and prosecution services;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
Richfield that:
1. The City Council opposes any proposed closure of the south suburban,
Division IV, Fourth Judicial District Courthouse based on its concern that such would
unduly inconvenience the citizens gf Richfield served thereby, result in increased costs
of prosecution and increased costs to the Richfield Police Department;
2. The City Council opposes any proposed closure of the Division III and II,
Fourth Judicial District courthouses based on its concern that such would result in a
reduction of the level of services currently offered at the Division IV courthouse due to
the resultant overcrowding of that facility by the reallocation of the other suburban
cases.
3. The City Manager and the City Attorney are authorized to cooperate with
other Hennepin County suburban cities to form a task force for the purpose of working
with the leadership of the Hennepin County District Court to examine possible solutions
to its anticipated loss of state funding.
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4. The City Council hereby directs the City Clerk to provide copies of this
Resolution to: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the State of Minnesota, the
Honorable Kathleen Blatz; the members of the Hennepin County Board; the Chief
Judge of the Fourth Judicial District, the Honorable Kevin Burke; and Hennepin County
Court Administrator Mark Thompson.
Passed and adopted this 11 th day of March, 2003.
?JJ;;;I;;;--a IL-K
Martin J. Ki , Mayor
ATTEST:
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