(a) The Municipal Judge shall preside over the Municipal Court. They shall be a conservator of the peace within the City, and insofar as any ordinance of the City is concerned, shall have and exercise all such powers and duties in criminal cases as a magistrate may lawfully exercise under the statutes of the State, and he shall also be ex officio a magistrate within the City, and shall, within the City, have and exercise all of the criminal powers and perform all duties fixed by law in a magistrate, except that they shall have no jurisdiction in civil cases; and they shall have such further powers and perform such other duties as may be from time to time prescribed or conferred by any law of the State or by ordinance of the City.
(b) The Municipal Judge shall have power to issue warrants upon complaint under oath by any person or officer for the arrest of anyone charged with any offense within the jurisdiction of the Court. The Municipal Judge shall hear and determine all cases over which the Court has jurisdiction, and within the limits prescribed by ordinance or by general law shall have the power to punish by fine or imprisonment, or both. The Municipal Judge shall have power to summon persons or subpoena witnesses for the trial of any case before him, to compel the attendance of police officers of the City, to require the Chief of Police to enforce all judgments or orders entered by him in the exercise of his powers as Municipal Judge and issue executions for all fines, penalties and costs imposed by him. The proceedings for the recovery of fines or for the enforcement of penalties fixed by any ordinance or law shall, so far as applicable, conform to the provisions of the general law governing civil proceedings before a magistrate of the State.
(Passed 3-4-21.)