Mayor Shirley Franklin has assigned City Attorney Linda DiSantis to spearhead the review and implementation of many of the recommendations presented to the City by a six member Independent Review Panel, including combining the Municipal and Traffic Courts. Mayor Franklin said, "Now that we've received the report, the next steps are to review the details and identify resources to develop the action plan."
The panel put more than 2,000 hours of work into their recommendations and moving the process to the next level will be equally as rigorous. It will include engaging in discussions with the National Center for State Courts and the Chief Judges of the Municipal and Traffic Courts to develop the timetable for implementation.
The Law Department, under the leadership of City Attorney Linda DiSantis, will closely review the legal matters associated with this total restructuring of the City Courts system. Implementation of some facets of the plan will require the approval of the Atlanta City Council and possibly the General Assembly.
Mayor Franklin continued, "It is timely for us to enter into these discussions at this point. The new budget process begins in June. By that time, we should have a better understanding of the staffing and operational needs of the combined Courts, which hopefully will result in a substantial savings to the City."
Upon close review, some issues arising from the panel's findings may be referred to the appropriate agencies for possible disciplinary action.
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