Jackson Township authorities are examining several rules, some of which have been in effect since the 1960s and 1970s, in an effort to lessen the volume of minor code enforcement matters that the municipal court system must handle.
Additionally, people will be able to pay penalties for minor infractions online without having to appear in court thanks to the township’s new system.
The effort was introduced by Council President Jennifer Kuhn, who said that the present system is ineffective and unduly bothersome for residents who are dealing with minor code violations or uncut grass.
According to Kuhn, we don’t want to ruin people’s life or force them to miss work for infractions. The existing system simply isn’t functioning. According to Kuhn, the court system is overburdened with first-time infractions and small citations, taking focus away from more important matters that need the attention of judges.
Kuhn and the township council are working with the Honorable Benjamin Mabie, III, the Municipal Court Judge, and other court officials to review a number of ordinances that are causing traffic in the local court.
The suggested modifications seek to preserve the township’s quality of life while expediting the enforcement procedure. If required, residents will still be able to appeal fines or enforcement measures.
For minor infractions, the new online system will enable residents to pay fines remotely, often doing away with the requirement for in-person court hearings. Kuhn underlined that this action is meant to free up resources for dealing with more important concerns rather than signifying a lessening of code enforcement.
According to Kuhn, courts should deal with actual crimes rather than making people appear in court to explain why they missed a day or two of grass-cutting.
To maintain the reasonableness and efficacy of enforcement measures, the council will vote on and approve ordinance modifications throughout the year as part of that continuous effort. The objective is to strike a compromise between preserving the township’s standard of living and lessening the strain on its citizens and the municipal court system, according to Kuhn.
