People who fight a traffic ticket or code citation in Anna would eventually find themselves in a different kind of courtroom under an ordinance the City Council takes up Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The 23-page ordinance, listed on the consent agenda, would establish the City of Anna Municipal Court of Record No. 1 under Chapter 30 of the Texas Government Code. It would replace the city's two existing municipal courts, Courts No. 1 and No. 2, which are not courts of record.
State law does not allow both kinds of municipal court to operate in a city at the same time, so the old courts would shut down at the moment the new one opens.
What changes for defendants
The biggest practical difference is the appeal. Under the ordinance, appeals from the new court would be decided on the record of what happened in Anna's courtroom and "may not be by trial de novo." The court would preserve proceedings by electronic recording or a court reporter, and a recorded case that is appealed would be transcribed.
Judges would also face stricter qualifications. Each would have to be a licensed Texas attorney in good standing with at least two years of law practice in the state, appointed by the council to a two-year term on the city manager's recommendation.
The city's recitals say the change would speed the handling of cases, preserve what happens in court for any appeal and strengthen enforcement of city ordinances. The ordinance also rewrites the court fee section of the city code, including jury, technology and building security fees, to match the conversion.
