BILL NUMBER: S6873

SPONSOR: RITCHIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to authorize the towns of Lorraine and Worth in Jefferson county
to elect a single town justice to preside in the town courts of such
towns

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would allow the Towns of Lorraine and Worth in Jefferson coun-
ty to elect one Town Justice to preside in the town courts of such
towns.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Amends the Uniform Justice Court Act authorizing the towns of Lorraine
and Worth in Jefferson county, to elect a single town justice to preside
in the town courts of such towns and provides for an immediate effective
date.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The Towns of Lorraine and Worth are contiguously located in the south-
eastern corner of the Tug Hill region in Jefferson county with a total
combined population of 1137 people and in an area totaling 82 square
miles. The low population density of the region has made it difficult
for each town to elect its own justice and to provide the facilities
necessary for the town courts to operate properly.  The town of Worth
justice court currently operates out of the Worth municipal building
which was built in the 1830s and lacks many of the building features of
the Lorraine municipal building which was built on 1997.

In 2017, the caseload for the town of Lorraine totaled 79 cases the
caseload for the town of Worth was just 9 cases. The cases primarily
involved violations of the Vehicle and Traffic Law , Penal Law and Envi-
ronmental Conservation Law.

Both towns support consolidating to use one Justice for both towns and
for the combined Justice to hold court in the town of Lorraine, with
records and documents, including computer records maintained separately
for each town. Candidates for the shared justice court position must be
residents of one of the two towns and will run in a single two town
election overseen by the Jefferson County Board of Elections.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New but similar to Chapter 145 of the Laws of 2011.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state. A shared town justice court facility located at the
town of Lorraine municipal building would create and maintain an effi-
cient system, saving taxpayer dollars in both towns.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.