Municipal Courts are limited jurisdiction courts in Oregon.  Please see this League of Oregon Cities resource for more on Municipal Courts generally. 

Municipal Court Vision

Facilities

• Designed for growth
• Central hub for services
• Accessible
• Supports efficient operations and technology
• Comfortable, welcoming
• Safe and secure
• Symbolized judicial decorum and neutrality

In size and design, new court facilities will be welcoming and adequate for any case.

Court Services and Programs

The city organization will continue to support justice, rather than revenue generation as the purpose of the court. The court will report routinely on its performance and be held accountable for being an effective and efficient city service.

Court services and programs will be designed to help defendants succeed in meeting their court obligations.

• Best practices
• Accountable
• Options for conducting court business
• Streamlined services
• Multi-Lingual and multi-cultural
• Effective diversion / deferred prosecution
• Alternative sanctions available
• Successful defendants

Human Resources

• Teamwork
• Service-Minded and diverse staff
• Well trained
• Professional reputation
• Career development

Staff will be well trained as court professionals, provide excellent customer service, and demonstrate cultural competence. The court will adjust or develop new positions to address business changes.

Court staff will keep abreast of key issues and be on the leading edge of judicial administration.

Partnerships

• Improve service delivery
• Proactive education
• Assist vulnerable populations

The court will work with citizens and community groups to help preserve individual rights, promote public safety, and make the court process more understandable.

The court will work with criminal justice partners and the community to improve quality of life in Eugene.

Technology

The Court will use technology to improve service to the public and streamline operations.

• Integrated systems to streamline work and share data
• Improved management information
• Reduced use of paper
• Useful website with access to public information
• E-government business transactions
• Wireless Internet connection

Community Involvement

• Informed and engaged community
• Community dialog
• Jurors feel service is worthwhile
• Increased use of volunteers
• Public trust and confidence in court

People will be active in the justice process as citizens, community members, witnesses, jurors, volunteers, and users of justice services. They will understand that there can be no justice without them, and they will value their unique roles in providing justice for all.

Public Education

• Presentations and tours
• Informative materials
• Proactive contacts
• Timely and accessible information

The court will see opportunities to make presentations to groups and provide question/answer public discussions. The court will actively look for new opportunities to be visible in the community as well as to inform and educate the public.

Municipal Court Operating Principles

• We treat the public and each other with trust, courtesy, respect and equity.
• We are committed to the highest ethical standards and democratic practices.
• We give timely responses to the public in clear, non-technical language, and we take responsibility for making sure they understand.
• We are responsive to change, continually learning and improving what we do as an organization.
• We promote a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. We recognize and honor a diversity of viewpoints, cultures, and life experiences.
• We encourage all employees to be innovative, to contribute ideas, and to work as a team toward positive outcomes.
• We are committed to maintaining a productive and professional work environment in which personal growth and enhancement of technical skills are encouraged.

Mission Statement

We provide a neutral forum that ensures defendants the constitutional right to due process through effective and efficient adjudication of cases and ensures enforcement of sanctions.

Strategic Objectives

The Municipal Court will focus on two primary strategic objectives for the next four years. The first is improving access to court and court data. The court proposes to achieve this strategic objective by implementing a Violations Bureau via the phone to improve customer service delivery and processing parking fine payments online. The court plans to increase access to court data, forms and services via the webpage and offer case resolution options that do not require the defendant to appear at court.

The second strategy is to maintain customer satisfaction for defendants, attorneys and the general public. The court’s goal is to maintain the 90 percent customer satisfaction service rating with citizens appearing at court by increasing public awareness through education about the court system and increasing payment alternatives. The court also plans to expand the customer satisfaction service survey to include internal customer information. Internal customers will include attorneys, Eugene police officers and other city departments.

Disclaimer

The information on this site does not constitute legal advice, it is provided for information only. While we make every effort to provide accurate information, there is no guarantee as to the accuracy.