NJ Sen. Vince Polistina speaking at the opening of the Atlantic County Central Municipal Court in Mays Landing.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy signed new legislation Tuesday sponsored by Sen. Vince Polistina (R-2) removing certain State Police cases from being heard in the fledgling Atlantic County Central Municipal Court system, which could stem the tide of defections from participating municipalities.
The legislation, S4040, clarifies that regional municipal courts will no longer be required to hear State Police or county police cases originating from outside the participating municipalities. S-1110 establishes a transportation line from Atlantic City International Airport to the Tourism District of Atlantic City, and S-2535 amends Grace’s Law to require health insurers to provide coverage for medically necessary hearing aids for children up to age 15.
“These three pieces of legislation will improve the lives of so many New Jerseyans,” Polistina said in a release. “With these new laws, insurance companies will provide the necessary benefits and coverage for cochlear implants for individuals under 21; tourists may soon be able to more easily reach Atlantic City casinos and businesses; and municipal courts will be made more efficient by no longer being required to hear State Police or county police cases originating from outside the participating municipalities.”
In his budget address, Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, who advocated for changing the law that created the Central Municipal Court, said the change “will drastically reduce caseloads and further reduce costs and increase efficiency.”
On Nov. 29, Superior Court Judge Michael J. Blee halted, at least temporarily, the exits of Ventnor, Brigantine, Hamilton Township and Northfield from the county municipal court system until the legislation was finalized. He also cited financial stability, staffing and social services offered at the county court as factors in deciding that the court system should maintain the “status quo” until the legislation was finalized.
In the Downbeach area, Ventnor was a founding member of the Central Municipal Court, while Margate and Longport formed their own joint court.
Mayor Lance Landgraf said costs associated with joining the court were not as robust as original projections, but more importantly, there were issues with communication and delays in hearing certain court cases. Ventnor decided it wanted to end its relationship with the central court in favor of forming a joint municipal court with Brigantine, in Brigantine.
“We felt we would rather be in a smaller system,” Landgraf said.
Landgraf said the city will be meeting with court personnel to discuss options and remedies before moving forward.
“We will discuss costs, communication, and other issues that were our main concerns. We will work through it,” he said, noting that the idea of a central court system was a “great idea that could save money.”
Hamilton Township and Northfield want to leave the central court and go to Hammonton’s already established joint court system. Hammonton’s court includes Egg Harbor City and Mullica Township, which have police departments, along with Buena Vista Township and Folsom, which do not have their own law enforcement agencies and are instead offered police protection by the State Police. The Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway are also patrolled by the State Police.
The first of its kind in the state, the Atlantic County Central Municipal Court became operational at the historic Atlantic County Courthouse in Mays Landing in 2022 with nine municipalities participating. Since then, other towns have left the central court, increasing costs for the remaining municipalities.
The original agreement that created the central court called for State Police complaints to be heard in the central court regardless of where the cases originated.
Levinson called it a “glaring anomaly” that in 2022 resulted in an additional 9,884 filings from non-participating towns that burdened the collaboration.
“We are inundated with State Police cases,” Levinson said in December. “We’re still saving towns money, but not as much as we could.”
Passing the legislation would bring about “fairness,” he said.
The legislation clarifies that the county court will only hear new cases falling within the territorial jurisdiction of the municipalities participating in the court system. State Police cases will now be filed in the court of the municipality where the complaint originates.
The bill also allows the county to hire a private company to collect delinquent fees and fines imposed by the court.
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