Columbiana and Washingtonville both still have mayor courts. Wellsville contracts with a magistrate who oversees village court in lieu of sending the majority of its cases to Columbiana County Municipal Court like the majority of other county police agencies.

Ohio Revised Code 1905.01 provides that either the mayor and/or council president has jurisdiction to hear and determine any prosecution for violations against municipal ordinances as well as criminal charges involving moving traffic violations.

Washingtonville mayor Ronald Stevens oversees his caseload –after 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday. Council president Jeff Wilson took the mandatory training to serve as alternate.

Stevens explained that he had to initially complete eight hours of mayor’s court training in the first year and not has to complete a lesser number of hours annually online for the last five years.

Columbiana mayor Rick Noel

Most of his caseload consists of traffic offenses and property violations.

Washingtonville’s police force only consists of three part-time officers, one of whom regularly attends mayor’s court on behalf of the department.

Heather Kelm acts as court clerk. Fiscal officer Dale Davis handles bailiff duties. County assistant prosecutor and Leetonia municipal attorneyAbbey Minamyerrepresents the state.

If an offense carries a possible penalty of a jury trial, both the mayors of Columbiana and

Washingtonville reserve the right to defer the case to municipal court in Lisbon.

Stevens assures his intention is not to put someone out of a job.

Getting certified to hear OVI cases usually required a second half day of training, according to former Wellsville magistrate Charley Kidder.

Many of the citations are issued to travelers going through Washingtonville, as village police tend to warn locals about speeding.

Washingtonville also has the distinction of citing into two different courts –its jurisdiction falls in both Columbiana and Mahoning counties. State Route 14 serves as the dividing line.

If a driver isn’t cited into Washingtonville Mayor’s Court, he may find himself or herself in either Columbiana County Municipal Court in Lisbon or Mahoning County Sebring court.

All fines are paid in either cash or check in person at village hall.

Most defendants have the option of paying their fine before hearings are held unless told otherwise. Any payment arrangements require consulting with the bench.

Mayor’s Court in Columbiana tends to be a little more intensive, as city mayor Rick Noel shares the duties on a regular basis with council president “Skip” Liston, who also undergoes the training to preside over mayor’s court.

According to Noel –who unlike Stevens has used his alternate –said that he and Liston have to reundergo training annually, usually electing to attend in-person at a Columbus hotel or university hosting.

Municipal attorney Mark Hutson provides legal backup on behalf of the city in the role of prosecutor. Police chief Mark Edwards attends on behalf of the city police department.

Defendants cited into mayor’s court have three plea options during their arraignment and subsequent pretrials: guilty, not guilty and no contest –defined as no admission of guilty but an acknowledgement of the facts offered by the state.

Noel said that 20 percent of the cases on mayor’s court docket are destined for county municipal court.

Generally Hutson, as municipal attorney, tries to negotiate an amicable adjudication of the case, which at times is not easily achieved.

Most disagreements are centered around the points imposed on moving violations.

“Points can be a big issue,” Noel explained, adding that Ohio moving violation points aren’t imposed in the state of Pennsylvania.

While many communities that used to have mayor’s courts like Lisbon, Leetonia and East Palestine have done away with them to just send their cases to Columbiana County Municipal Court. Columbiana and Washingtonville are a few that continue to handle cases internally.

At 5 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of the month, the city holds its Mayor’s Court in the two hours leading up to its regular council meeting.

Cases that cannot be settled by the initial court appearance are scheduled for a follow-up hearing on the next court day two weeks away.

Noel attributes that longevity of the Columbiana Mayor’s Court to the fact that the court has remained self-sufficient, while others are constantly not collecting fines and costs instead electing to transfer funds to keep the operation running.

He added, “Our police force also is pretty fair. They aren’t going to cite you for going a few miles over the speed limit or a minor violation.”

Even in regards to property violations issued for high weeds or zoning offenses, Noel said overall property owners do a good job upkeeping neighborhoods. If some aren’t, they rarely have to reach Mayor’s Court as they fix the problem quickly.

“Bryce Miner as deputy zoning administrator oversees property code with support from the police department, and they do a good job,” explained Noel. “We try to be nice at first. But if that doesn’t work, it is off to court.”

Wellsville’s mayor doesn’t oversee the village court. Instead officials pay for Nick Barborak to oversee the court, according to Kidder. His case load also includes a variety of moving violations, minor misdemeanor charges, like criminal damaging; and village code properties like those other two mayors courts.