Starke County officials discussed the future of Knox City Court during Monday’s Starke County Commissioners meeting.
Officials stated that the City of Knox is looking for direction on how to move forward with the court and its funding. The issue comes as officials face a deadline to determine whether to keep the current arrangement or eventually dissolve the city court.
During discussion, officials said the Starke County Council will need to consider either a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to continue the current agreement or a new contract for another four years. If Knox City Court is eventually dissolved, the court’s cases and associated expenses would become the responsibility of the county.
It was mentioned that the dissolution of Knox City Court could cost several hundred thousand dollars, though no specific final cost was established during Monday’s discussion.
County Attorney Justin Schramm said another option would be to extend the existing agreement through an addendum while the county considers what a future transition could look like. He suggested county officials discuss the matter with the Knox mayor and city council.
Officials said a decision needs to be made before the end of the year. According to the discussion, if the matter extends into the election year beginning January 1, the city court could not then be terminated during that election year.
It was also stated during the meeting that the city is prepared to abolish the court. Officials also noted support for continuing the city court because of the number of cases it handles and what was described as its efficient and economical operation.
The commissioners took no action on this topic on Monday.
