CHATHAM—At its January 11 meeting, the Village Board agreed to hold a public hearing on a proposed local law to abolish the position of village justice, thereby dissolving the Village Court. The public hearing will be in February. After the hearing the board will vote on the proposed law and if they pass it, the court would be dissolved by April 5, when the current justice’s term is up.
If the board votes in favor of the local law, residents have 30 days to circulate a petition. Village Attorney Ken Dow explained at the online Village Board meeting Monday night, January 11, that if the petition is signed by 20% of village residents, normally the question of dissolving the court would then go on the village ballot. But due to changes in state election laws, there is not enough time to get the resolution on the March ballot. Mr. Dow said at the meeting that a petition would “kill” the law and that the board could not dissolve the court for another four years, when the justice’s term is up again.
Mayor John Howe brought up the issue of closing the court at the board meeting last month, saying that the funds brought in by the village court in fines and forfeitures are “pretty much a wash” with the cost of running the court. The village is in the Towns of Chatham and Ghent, each of which has a court where cases would be heard if the village court is dissolved. At the meeting this month, Mayor Howe said he talked to both town supervisors about the possibility of dissolving the village court. Read more…