HomeMy WebLinkAbout(0007) IR 20-10413 - Southwest Municipal Court Closure and Consolidation (3)INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 20-10413
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 19, 2020
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SUBJECT: SOUTHWEST MUNICIPAL COURT FACILITY — CONSOLIDATING
rrA SERVICES TO THE A.D. MARSHALL PUBLIC SAFETY AND
COURTS BUILDING
The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide information related to the closure of court operations at
the Southwest Municipal Court facility (SWMC) located at 3741 southwest loop 820, and the consolidation
of those operations to the A.D. Marshall Public Safety and Courts Building (PSB) 1000 Throckmorton
Street effective May 4, 2020.
History
The SWMC opened in July 2011 in an effort to provide a convenient and easily accessible full service
facility for citizens in Southwest Fort Worth. In addition to the Municipal Court, space at the facility was
used by Code Compliance and the Water Department. The space at SWMC had two courtrooms for bench
trials which allowed for expanded dockets for scheduling cases. Most recently court activity at this facility
included court functions related to Code and Attorney Plea dockets, Teen Court, cashier services, and in-
house collections.
Developments that Led to Changes
As the City's Property Management Department began to access city facilities and working with
departments to ensure that facilities were being used as effectively as possible, conversations about
potential changes at SWMC began to take place. The first notable change occurred on February 26, 2016
when the Water Department withdrew its satellite payment center at the facility.
As a result of the 2014 Bond Downtown Facility Improvements, recent process improvements, success of
court in the community events, declining filings, virtual online service improvements, and increased online
payment capability, the Municipal Court began drafting a consolidation plan to move SWMC services back
to the PSB and established May 1st as the goal date to have the transition completed. Due to operational
changes tied to the COVID-19 pandemic that closed courts to the public in late March 2020, the court
leadership team were able to focus their efforts on the consolidation and meeting the timeline goal that had
been set.
Municipal Court leadership briefed the Ad Hoc Court Advisory Committee on their plan to consolidate
services back to the PSB at their meeting on August 13, 2019, and provided the final update to the
committee on May 12, 2020. Additionally, a meeting conducted by WEBEX on April 30, 2020 with
Councilmember Jungus Jordan, Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington, Chief Judge Danny Rodgers,
and Interim Court Director William F. Rumuly was held to provide an update on the courts transition plan
out of SWMC and to discuss the communication strategy being developed to share this information with
Fort Worth citizens.
The Municipal Court is collaborating with the City's Communications Office, Mayor and Council, City
Manager's Office, other city departments, and neighborhood associations to develop a multi -media
approach to share information, and will be engaging in an ongoing media campaign for the next several
months to ensure that constituents and stakeholders are aware of this change in court services.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 20-10413
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 19, 2020
Page 2of2
i
o
SUBJECT: SOUTHWEST MUNICIPAL COURT FACILITY — CONSOLIDATING
rrA SERVICES TO THE A.D. MARSHALL PUBLIC SAFETY AND
COURTS BUILDING
The 2014 Bond renovations of PSB are currently scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2020. The
new ADA ramp, first and second floor ADA bathroom renovations, and first floor courtrooms are
completed. The remaining items tied to the second floor courtroom and adjoining jury deliberation room
will not impact the court operations moving from SWMC to the PSB.
Future Plans for the Southwest Municipal Court facility and other offsite locations for citizens to
access court services
The SWMC facility will not remain empty. The plan for the first and second floor utilization of the SWMC
facility, formerly used by the courts, will now be used by Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) to
relocate staff from facilities that are being paid for via outside lease agreements. The city will benefit from
no longer having to pay for that leased office space. Further, Code Compliance will continue to use the
basement level to office two (2) Neighborhood Enforcement districts and the Code Department Training
team.
Municipal Court is poised to open a joint service location at the Golden Triangle Library in the summer of
2020. The Court will reassign two existing staff to the location for walk-in payments, proof, and other
transactions including virtual walk-in court to see a judge. The court is also exploring the potential to
collaborate and co -locate with other city departments in the future to provide access to court services.
If you have any questions, please contact William F. Rumuly, Interim Court Director at 817-392-6736.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS