2004 Minnesota Statutes

     488A.20 Administrator; other employees. 

    Subdivision 1.    Appointment, term, removal, suspension.  
  (a) A majority of the judges shall appoint an administrator 
 of the court.  

    (b) The court shall have employees, consisting of those 
 persons employed in the municipal courts of the cities of New 
 Brighton, Roseville, Maplewood, North Saint Paul, White Bear 
 Lake and Saint Paul, as of December 31, 1974.  

    (c) Additional employees may be appointed by the 
 administrator with the approval of the majority of the judges 
 when the county board consents to the creation of such new 
 positions.  

    (d) The administrator and other employees of the court, 
 exclusive of court reporters, shall each be appointed for a term 
 of six years from the date of appointment.  At any time within 
 six months from the date of initial appointment, each may be 
 removed and the appointment terminated, with or without cause 
 and without notice or hearing, by the appointing official or 
 officials.  At any time, each may be suspended by the appointing 
 official or officials without pay for a period not to exceed 30 
 days with or without cause pending a hearing for removal and 
 termination of appointment for cause before the appointing 
 official or officials.  

    (e) The administrator and all other employees of the court 
 shall be in the unclassified service of the county of Ramsey.  

    Subd. 2.    Oath, bond.  (a) The administrator and other 
 employees of the court shall each take and subscribe an oath to 
 support the Constitutions of the United States and the state of 
 Minnesota and to perform faithfully the duties of office.  

    (b) The administrator and other employees of the court may 
 not enter upon their official duties until their respective 
 appointment and oath are filed with the county auditor.  

    Subd. 3.    Powers and duties.  (a) The administrator 
 and other employees of the court may each administer oaths and 
 affirmations and take acknowledgments.  

    (b) The administrator shall delegate and supervise the work 
 of the other employees of the court.  The administrator shall 
 have all the powers and duties incident to the office of an 
 administrator of a court of record or necessary to carry out the 
 purposes of this act.  

    (c) The administrator shall make minutes, records and 
 indices of all proceedings; enter all orders, judgments or 
 sentences; issue all process; keep proper accounts; have custody 
 of all court records; and tax all costs and disbursements.  

    (d) In the performance of all duties, the administrator is 
 subject to the control and supervision of the judges.  

    Subd. 4.    Disposition of fines, fees and other money; 
 accounts.  (a) Except as otherwise provided herein and except 
 as otherwise provided by law, the administrator shall pay to the 
 Ramsey County treasurer all fines and penalties collected by the 
 administrator, all fees collected for administrator's services, 
 all sums forfeited to the court as hereinafter provided, and all 
 other money received by the administrator. 

    (b) The administrator of court shall for each fine or 
 penalty, provide the county treasurer with the name of the 
 municipality or other subdivision of government where the 
 offense was committed and the total amount of the fines or 
 penalties collected for each such municipality or other 
 subdivision of government. 

    (c) The state of Minnesota and any governmental subdivision 
 within the jurisdictional area of the municipal court herein 
 established may present cases for hearing before said municipal 
 court.  In the event the court takes jurisdiction of a 
 prosecution for the violation of a statute or ordinance by the 
 state or a governmental subdivision other than a city or town in 
 Ramsey county, all fines, penalties and forfeitures collected 
 shall be paid over to the county treasurer except where a 
 different disposition is provided by law, and the following fees 
 shall be taxed to the state or governmental subdivision other 
 than a city or town within Ramsey county which would be entitled 
 to payment of the fines, forfeitures or penalties in any case, 
 and shall be paid to the administrator of the court for 
 disposing of the matter.  The administrator shall deduct the 
 fees from any fine collected for the state of Minnesota or a 
 governmental subdivision other than a city or town within Ramsey 
 County and transmit the balance in accordance with the law, and 
 the deduction of the total of the fees each month from the total 
 of all the fines collected is hereby expressly made an 
 appropriation of funds for payment of the fees:  

    (1) In all cases where the defendant is brought into court 
 and pleads guilty and is sentenced, or the matter is otherwise 
 disposed of without a trial.....$5 

    (2) In arraignments where the defendant waives a 
 preliminary examination.....$10 

    (3) In all other cases where the defendant stands trial or 
 has a preliminary examination by the court.....$15 

    (4) The court shall have the authority to waive the 
 collection of fees in any particular case.  

    (d) At the beginning of the first day of any month, the 
 amount in the hands of the administrator which is owing to any 
 municipality or county shall not exceed $5,000. 

    (e) On or before the last day of each month, the county 
 treasurer shall pay over to the treasurer of the city of St. 
 Paul two-thirds and to the treasurer of each other municipality 
 or subdivision of government in Ramsey County one-half of all 
 fines or penalties collected during the previous month from 
 those imposed for offenses committed within the treasurer's 
 municipality or subdivision of government in violation of a 
 statute, an ordinance, charter provision, rule or regulation of 
 a city.  All other fines and forfeitures and all fees and costs 
 collected by the county municipal court shall be paid to the 
 treasurer of Ramsey County who shall dispense the same as 
 provided by law. 

    (f) Amounts represented by checks issued by the 
 administrator or received by the administrator which have not 
 cleared by the end of the month may be shown on the monthly 
 account as having been paid or received, subject to adjustment 
 on later monthly accounts. 

    (g) The administrator may receive negotiable instruments in 
 payment of fines, penalties, fees, or other obligations as 
 conditional payments, and is not held accountable therefor but 
 if collection in cash is made and then only to the extent of the 
 net collection after deduction of the necessary expense of 
 collection. 

    Subd. 5.    Bail.  (a) Any bail deposited with the 
 administrator and not forfeited by court order shall be deemed 
 abandoned and forfeited if the person entitled to refund does 
 not file a written demand therefor within six months from the 
 date of entitlement to refund.  

    (b) All sums collected by bail, bond or recognizance 
 forfeited by court order or by abandonment shall be forthwith 
 paid by the administrator to the Ramsey county treasurer.  

    (c) Any judge may order any bail, bond, or recognizance 
 forfeited under this subdivision to be reinstated for cause and 
 the administrator shall then refund accordingly.  The Ramsey 
 County treasurer shall reimburse the administrator if the 
 administrator refunds the deposit upon such an order and obtains 
 a receipt to be used as a voucher.  

    Subd. 6.    Salaries.  The administrator and other 
 employees of the court shall be paid annual salaries pursuant to 
 a schedule adopted by a majority of judges of the court and 
 approved by the Ramsey County board of commissioners.  

    Subd. 7.    Destruction of records.  Files and records 
 of the court may be destroyed in accordance with law.  

    Subd. 8.    Revenues to general fund.  In a judicial 
 district under section 480.181, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), 
 the county's share of all fines, forfeitures, fees, and 
 statutory court costs must be paid to the commissioner of 
 finance for deposit in the state treasury and credited to the 
 general fund. 

    HIST: 1961 c 436 s 3; 1963 c 469 s 1; 1967 c 747 s 4; 1969 c 
 729 s 3-7; 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7; 1973 c 708 s 8-12,36; 1974 c 
 397 s 3-5,20,21,40; 1981 c 301 s 7; 1986 c 444; 1991 c 326 s 26; 
 1992 c 511 art 2 s 41; 1Sp2001 c 5 art 5 s 19; 2003 c 112 art 2 
 s 50