First court session results in trials
Staff writer
Ramona City Council passed an ordinance in 2009 to establish a municipal court to address city ordinance violations. The first court session was Thursday at Ramona Senior Center.
“The council wants to send a message around town that ordinances do matter,” Mayor Pat Wick said. “Towns have ordinances. People who don’t want to cooperate, come to towns with fewer rules.”
Vice Mayor Kathy Matkins views enforcement of ordinances as vital to Ramona’s future as an incorporated town and a pleasant place to live. She has lived in Ramona for eight years.
“This is for the benefit of the town,” she said. “We realize that we need to keep up appearances. We have a nice little town, but if we allow ourselves to deteriorate, we won’t have anything. We just want people to be respectful and considerate of their neighbors.”
Wick said ordinances set minimum standards for cleanliness and orderliness in a community. If the ordinances aren’t followed, law-abiding residents suffer and visitors are kept away.
“Yes, there is expense with a municipal court, but there’s also an expense from people who wreck little towns,” she said.
She noted that in small towns residents can’t choose what type of neighborhood they want to live in. All are neighbors. Ramona comprises five blocks with 95 to 100 residents.
Wick cited one young couple who recently moved away because of animal odors and an unkempt house and yard across the street.
“We want people in town who have good character, pay taxes, have jobs, and take care of their property,” she said.
Wick invites other small towns in northern Marion County to join Ramona in its municipal court.
When the court is in session, the presiding judge is Attorney Keith Collett of Marion. The recording secretary is Jessica Gilbert, Ramona city clerk.
At least 15 people attended Thursday’s session. City attorney Dan Baldwin represented the city of Ramona.
Two couples — William and Shannon Bell and Marvin and Janet Rains — in two separate, consecutive first appearances, were called before Judge Collett. He declared they were summoned because of a complaint that they had violated city ordinance 189. Among other things, the animal ordinance limits the number of horses that can be kept per acre of land and requires a minimum of 50 feet between the horses and a residence.
Both couples pled, “Not guilty.” Consequently, Collett set a trial date of 5 p.m. Oct. 14. He advised the defendants that, because the case does not involve jail time, the court will not assign a public defender to them, but they may hire an attorney on their own.
Baldwin advised two separate, consecutive trials, as there were two separate first appearances. He will meet with the city council to explain the trial procedures.
Someone asked if the senior center is large enough to accommodate the anticipated large number of spectators.
Collett said the facility is OK because courts have no constitutional requirement to accommodate spectators.
“This was a monumental moment for us,” Gilbert said after the session. “Ramona has been referred to as ‘a jewel on the prairie’. We hope to keep it as a jewel so that we can attract more people to the town.”