The Eugene City Council on Monday voted to make the city’s Municipal Court a court of record, a change the city says will reduce a backlog of misdemeanor cases before the Lane County Circuit Court.
Councilors unanimously adopted an ordinance that amends the Eugene code to permanently preserve the court’s proceedings during their evening meeting without discussion. The municipal court already keeps some basic records, but its capabilities will expand to include verbatim transcripts, likely through hiring court reporters and introducing audio recording, by April 1.
The estimated cost of the needed additional staff and materials ranges from $350,000 to $500,000 — funding requests that will be included in the summer supplemental budget. The Community Safety Payroll Tax could partially cover the costs, the council agenda states…