Work group proposes St. Louis-area municipal court reforms

ST. LOUIS -- Despite calls for a consolidation of the myriad municipal courts in St. Louis County, the Missouri Supreme Court lacks the authority to order such a sweeping change, a work group concluded in a report issued Tuesday that recommends several reforms.

Municipal courts in St. Louis County have been under scrutiny in the nearly 19 months since the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson spurred a closer examination of race relations in the region. The county has 90 municipalities with about 80 municipal courts, and several have been accused of deriving too much money from court fines and fees paid largely by minority and poor residents.

Several changes already have been implemented. Ferguson and other municipalities instituted their own reforms. A new state law caps municipal court revenue.

The Ferguson Commission appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon to address racial problems recommended other changes, including a consolidation of courts. But the work group appointed last year by the state Supreme Court determined the Missouri Constitution does not allow the judicial body to make that change.

It concluded "consolidation of municipal courts must remain the responsibility of the Missouri General Assembly, and/or of the municipal governments or the voters of the localities directly involved, rather than being made by the Supreme Court of Missouri."

The report carries no immediate mandate. The Supreme Court will determine which, if any, of the suggested reforms to adopt.

The work group report also recommends expanded oversight of municipal courts by a circuit court judge; dismissal of cases that are based solely on a failure to appear in court; and using court fees and costs to fund only the court, not other city departments.

The work group was assigned to evaluate municipal courts statewide, but its report suggested problems were mostly in the St. Louis area.

"The evidence we have received to date suggests that the most serious concerns, operational deficiencies, and resulting loss of public confidence in Missouri's municipal court system are largely limited to certain municipal courts in St. Louis County," the report said.

AP reporter Bill Draper in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report.