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. . . ~ ~LLS CITY OF ARDEN HILLS RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA RESOLUTION NO. 03-56 A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE CLOSURE OF THE MAPLEWOOD SUBURBAN COURT AND REQUESTING RAMSEY COUNTY DISTRICT COURT COOPERA TIVEL Y EXAMINE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS WHEREAS, Ramsey County Chief Judge Mott has announced that the District Court was considering closing the Maplewood Suburban Court in response to proposed state funding decreases; WHEREAS, at no time has the leadership of the Ramsey County District Court involved the suburban cities in a planning effort to analyze possible measures to absorb the anticipated budget cuts; WHEREAS, the closing of the Maplewood Suburban Court will result III the following: · There will be much longer court calendars and overcrowding at the downtown courthouse, which does not have the space to absorb additional defendants and the court staff needed for the increased workload, · Police officers will be off the streets for longer periods of time to travel longer distances and to wait longer periods oftime for overcrowded court schedules, · Suburban police departments will incur increased costs to pay for longer waiting limes, parking costs, and additional officers to cover the longer absences, · Suburban citizens will suffer major inconvenience from traveling longer distances and waiting longer periods of time to be heard, · Cooperation of civilian witnesses and crime victims with the prosecution will be lost, particularly in domestic abuse cases, due to the remote location and increased waiting time, and · Prosecution costs will potentially increase if each city's cases are spread between more courtrooms. WHEREAS, suburban cities recognize the real need to cut costs at the district court level; WHEREAS, suburban cities wish to cooperate with the District Court in analyzing other alternatives that could avoid shifting the court's budget cuts to the cities.