When a complaint of an alleged ordinance violation is made to the municipal judge or such other official as specified in § 34.04, the judge or official may in his or her discretion, in lieu of issuing an arrest warrant, issue a summons, ordering the alleged offender to personally appear before the municipal court at a time specified therein to answer to the charges against him or her. The summons shall contain a brief description of the offense charged but need not set out verbatim the provisions of the ordinance alleged to have been violated. Upon failure of any person to appear before the municipal court as commanded in summons lawfully served on him or her, the cause may be proceeded with ex parte, and the judgement of the court shall be valid and binding subject to the defendant’s right of appeal.
(Prior Code, § 1-505)