Senator proposes changes to municipal court system

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A few proposed tweaks to the way the municipal court system works in Wisconsin were proposed in a Senate bill filed Friday.

If passed, Senate Bill 275, sponsored by Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, would allow a municipal court judge to order a default judgment against a defendant if the defendant doesn’t appear for their trial. Currently, judges can only do that if a defendant doesn’t show up for their initial appearance.

The bill also would eliminate the requirement for a complainant – such as a police officer – to sign a citation before it is submitted. Instead, only the complainant’s name would have to appear on the citation.

The bill would eliminate the requirement that a judge file an official oath and bond with the clerk of circuit court in a given area. It also would eliminate $10 in filing fees for those who appeal a judge’s decision, and not force an appellant to pay for a transcript again if they do not win their appeal.

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Grothman said he introduced the bill to codify what he believes is already done in many places across the state.

“It’s not going to have a huge effect on the way municipal courts operate,” Grothman said, “but I think statutes should reflect current practice.”

Municipal courts mostly handle traffic and local ordinance violations, as well as first-offense OWIs.

A corresponding Assembly bill has not yet been introduced, though the Senate bill lists Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, as a sponsor.