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Webb City, MO Municipal Court Going Online
Webb City’s Municipal Court system is upgrading to meet 21st century standards.
Webb City will soon be outfitted with an online court record system called Show-Me Courts, which is being mandated statewide. The cities of Carterville and Carthage are undergoing the same steps, and Oronogo has already implemented the new system.
Earlier this month, City Council members agreed to upgrade to the record and case management automation system. Carl Francis, city administrator, said the court system was due for an upgrade, and the new program will make it more efficient for both the city and its users.
“Our current system does not report to CaseNet, and one of the things that the Offices of State Courts is suggesting is that everybody start posting online records, so that people can access court records online,” Francis said. “This will give us that access. It will also improve our ability to collect past due and overdue fines.”
The new system will give individuals the opportunity to check their court cases, dates and fees online. The city will be able to post all judgments on the server, as well as traffic tickets. Prosecuting attorneys will have their own portal index where they can access case information.
“It will allow us to electronically track cases better, and the public will have access to all of that information that is open record,” Francis said. “It also electronically performs the task of debt collection when people fail to pay their fines. The state will begin a process of enforcement through your state income tax return. If you have outstanding collections for municipal cases, they can seize any of those taxes and pay your fines with them.”
The City Council met on Monday to adopt an ordinance authorizing a $7 fee with each fine to fund the new system, which will raise the city’s court costs from $28.50 to $35.50. The charges will be transferred monthly to the state, not the city.
“It’s a $7 per court charge fee that’s imposed by the state of Missouri that the offender pays upon conviction,” Francis said. “It will maintain the entire system and pay for all of the electronic filing, electronic case import/export, and victim automated notification service, which is a big deal, especially in domestic violence cases.”
Francis said the system should be ready by the spring, and court officials are already undergoing training for the software. The state’s goal is to have all cities using the system in the next five years.
“It will be a couple of months probably before we implement it,” Francis said.
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