Page 50 - CityofKennedaleFY25AdoptedBudget

DEPARTMENT OUTLINE: MUNICIPAL COURT

The Municipal Court is a Judicial Branch of the City government. The Kennedale Municipal
Court is dedicated to the principles of fair and impartial justice while adhering to statutory
requirements and providing the highest standards in customer service. Utilizing an
innovative approach, the Municipal Court promotes timely disposition of cases while
ensuring accuracy to promote a positive public perception of the judicial system.

PRIOR YEAR RESULTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Assisted the Police Department in Implementing Cell Phone Ticket Writers
• Participated in the 2023 Municipal Courts Week
• Recipient of the 2024 Municipal Traffic Safety Initiative Award for new applicants
through the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center
• Appointed a new associate Judge and Prosecutor
• Participated in the 2024 Great Warrant Roundup
• Participated in 2023 public Safety Event and National night out

NEW FOR FY25

The Municipal court currently consists of a Court Administrator and a Juvenile Case Manager.
We would like to add a full-time court clerk. This clerk will have an anticipated start date of
October 1, 2024.

The court has recently experienced a significant increase in workload. In January and February,
we saw a 41% increase in all areas compared to last year. We are also seeing an average of 150
people a month at our window. Adding a court clerk would help us manage our workload more
effectively and maintain the quality of our output.

The new court clerk will also help alleviate some job duties from our current juvenile case
manager. This is essential because effective 01/1/2025, H.B. 3186 requires the adoption of a
youth diversion program for every municipal and justice court in Texas. Our current juvenile
case manager will be busy creating and managing a Youth Diversion program for our court.

SHORT-TERM (FY25) GOALS

 Monitor future legislation affecting municipal court operations
 Continue to review and update the courts forms, policies, and procedures
 Encourage continued development and training of staff
 Increase convenience for the customer by allowing email and online requests
 Implement a Diversion Program
 Increase compliance from defendants during the warrant roundup
 Enter into an interlocal agreement with Arlington Teen court to allow juvenile misdemeanor
offenders an alternative to the criminal justice system.

CITYOFKENNEDALE.COM/BUDGET 50