Court expands into new building
Published 9:38 pm Sunday, July 1, 2007
MARYSVILLE – Starting today, court hearings and City Council meetings will no longer be in danger of running together.
Burgeoning caseloads in recent years have prompted Marysville to lease a former insurance building at 1015 State St., a block south of City Hall, for its Municipal Court.
The new building will have two courtrooms, allowing two court calendars to run at the same time. At City Hall, at 1049 State St., the courtroom and the Council Chambers were one and the same.
“There were times (the court was) there up to a half-an-hour before the council meeting and wondering if they were going to get through the calendar,” city administrator Mary Swenson said.
The court handles misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases – including driving infractions, DUIs and assaults – for not only Marysville but Arlington and Lake Stevens as well.
Cases grew from 9,812 in 2003 to 10,760 in 2005, according to the city. Through the first five months in this year the court recorded 5,116 cases. Since 2003, the court staff has grown from seven to 15.
The growth was creating calendars of more than 100 cases in a day, and was making for a lot of people traipsing through City Hall, officials said.
The city is paying $28,000 a month to rent the one-story, brick building for the court. The city spent $225,000 to convert the building, with the money going toward the rent. After three years, the city will have an option to buy the building.
At City Hall, most court staff members were spread through the building, mixed in with other employees. In addition to Judge Fred Gillings and Commissioner Lorrie Towers, who also hears cases, the court has an administrator, one probation officer, two bailiffs and nine clerks.
The new building has a large area for the clerks that can accommodate more in the future; two large rooms for jury deliberations and other meetings; separate chambers for the judge and commissioner; separate offices for the probation officer and probation clerk; two holding cells, and a kitchen and lunchroom. The new courtrooms total 1,700 and 1,400 square feet.
“We’ll be able to handle the size of our calendars in a much better facility for us,” court administrator Suzanne Elsner said.
The move also frees up room at City Hall.
The city has added staff in its administration and finance departments, Swenson said. Furniture in the Council Chambers used only for the court will be removed, the audience will sit closer to the City Council dais and the administration department will expand by several feet, Swenson said.
“This gives us a little more breathing room,” she said.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
