Eugene is upgrading its municipal court to a “court of record” starting Monday.
The city’s court proceedings aren’t currently recorded, so if someone's convicted there, they can ask for a new trial in Lane County Circuit Court.
Since January, a new Oregon law has also allowed some defendants from a non-recorded municipal court to immediately transfer their cases to circuit court.
City staff say that’s thrown off how cases were previously delegated, and Lane County can’t take on the added workload. As a result, they say some cases aren’t being filed at all.
In response, Eugene City Council voted unanimously in February to transition their court to a court of record.
Eugene Municipal Court administrator Sarah Calligari said she believes this change will help improve the community’s trust in the system.
“It really just solidifies the work that we're doing here,” said Calligari, “and it gives people an opportunity to handle their cases in ways that we currently don't have the option to.”
Because there’s now a record produced, Calligari said a defendant can now appeal a municipal court decision to a higher court, rather than having to do another trial first.
Calligari said the court will need new technology and staffing to meet the standards of a court of record.
City spokesperson Caitlin Wallace said the change is estimated to cost between $350,000 to $500,000 for this biennium, which ends next year.
Wallace said a funding request will be included in supplemental budget discussions later this year. She said part of the cost could be covered through the Community Safety Payroll Tax.
