(A) Municipal Judge and Interim Judges. As soon as reasonably practicable after the swearing in of the Mayor for the Mayor’s term of office and, upon a vacancy in the Municipal Court, the Mayor shall tender in writing to the City Secretary the names of the persons be nominated to serve as Municipal Court and Interim Judges of the Municipal Court. The City Secretary shall complete, for each nominee, the personal information required to be completed and tendered to the City Council in its consideration of the nominees. The City Council shall vote to approve or disapprove each of the nominees and that action shall be final. The City Council may not consider the approval of, or approve of, any person for a position of Municipal Court Judge unless that person has been nominated by the Mayor.
(B) Appointment and removal; oath. The Municipal Court shall be held by a City Judge, who shall be appointed by and subject to removal by the City Council. The term of office shall not exceed the term of office of the Mayor. However, a serving Municipal Judge may continue to serve as such until his or her replacement, which shall be effective upon the replacement nominee taking the oath of office. No nominee for Municipal Judge shall take the oath of office until the nominee has attended the required training necessary to undertake the service of Judge, including any necessary certification. Before entering upon the discharge of the duties of such office, the Judge shall take and subscribe the usual oath of office and post bond.
(C) Selection, qualification and term of office of Judge. The Municipal Judge shall be at least 25 years of age. The Municipal Judge shall not hold any other elected public office while holding the title of City of Palmview Municipal Judge.
(D) Powers and duties generally. The City Judge shall preside at all hearings in the Municipal Court and shall exercise the powers of this position as may be required by state law and city ordinances.
(E) Interim Judges. When situations require, the Mayor may nominate one or more qualified substitutes to serve during illness, temporary absence, inability to serve or disqualification of the City Judge.
(F) Appointment and removal of Judge.
(1) The Judge may be removed at any time for good cause by a majority vote of the City Council. Before removal, however, written charges must be proffered against him or her, which written charges must be signed by one or more of the City Council members and delivered to the Mayor and the City Secretary. The Judge must be furnished a copy of the written charges, together with notice of the time and place of a hearing, which must held not be less than 30 days after serving the Judge of a copy of the charges. At the request of the Judge, such hearing may be open to public or held in executive session and the Judge shall have the right to engage legal counsel and to call witnesses on his or her own behalf and examine witnesses which appear before the City Council against him or her. The action of the City Council in removing or in refusing to remove the Judge shall be final and there shall be no appeal from the action of the City Council.
(2) Upon any vacancy occurring for any reason during a term of the Municipal Court Judge, a new Judge shall be appointed for the remainder of the term during which the vacancy occurred.
(G) Compensation. The compensation of the Municipal Judge is $700 per month and the Alternate Judge is $500 per month.
(Ord. 2016-04, passed 7-18-2016)