Othello council approves ordinance establishing municipal court

OTHELLO — The city of Othello will have its own municipal court beginning in January. Othello City Council members approved an ordinance establishing a court at the regular meeting Monday.

“Earlier this summer Adams County informed us that they weren’t going to renew our contract for incarceration, adjudication and prosecution of adult misdemeanor crimes in the city of Othello,” City Attorney Kelly Konkright said. “And so that requires us to create our own municipal court.”

Mayor Shawn Logan said after the meeting that city officials have hired a court administrator, and are working to hire a judge. The judge must be hired within 30 days of the passage of the ordinance.

The court must be established by Dec. 31, when the city’s current contract with the Adams County District Court expires. Felony and juvenile cases will still be handled by Adams County.

The ordinance passed Monday gives the city the authority to set up the court, Konkright said.

“This ordinance does cover everything that we need, it’s pretty exhaustive,” he said.

Konkright said the ordinance passed Monday is part of the process of establishing a court, but not all of it.

“The second piece of this will be the adoption of our city criminal code, that will basically incorporate those crimes that are in the Revised Code of Washington that we want to enforce within our city limits,” Konkright said.

City officials are working to have that ready for city council consideration by the end of September, he said.

“That’s the criminal code that this municipal court will be enforcing, which is the court that ordinance will create,” he said.

Misdemeanors include offenses that are punishable by up to 90 days in jail and fines of $1,000 or less, according to RCW 9A.20.010. A gross misdemeanor is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a maximum $5,000 fine. The new Othello municipal court will adjudicate misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. It also will have jurisdiction over traffic and parking violations and civil infractions, according to the ordinance passed Monday.

“The city may meet the requirements of RCW 39.34.180 by entering into an interlocal agreement with Adams County or with one or more cities,” according to the ordinance.

The ordinance setting up the court establishes qualifications for the judge and criteria for jury trials. Juries will consist of six people, or trials can be heard by the judge alone. Other provisions govern community supervision, collecting fines and imposing penalties if defendants do not comply with the initial sentence.

City officials must meet other requirements to establish a court, from preparing a courtroom to getting a court seal for documents.

“This is just one little piece. It’s an important piece, and it’s essential for us to move forward,” Konkright said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.