An inevitable growth step was taken by the city on Tuesday when the Maricopa Municipal Court began operating at City Hall in a temporary district separate from the Pinal Court of Justice after 20 years, while the new court building was being constructed. I got

The Maricopa City Court, along with Interim Judge Stephen McCarville, handles misdemeanors, civil traffic, protection orders, driving under the influence, violations of city ordinances, and all other subpoenas issued by the Maricopa Police Department.

After the City Council approved the construction of a separate courthouse in September, a temporary courthouse block was constructed on the City Council Chambers (39700 W. Civic Center Plaza) to replace the Pinal County Court of Justice at 19955 N. Wilson Avenue. The city case has been removed from the building. .

According to city officials, it cost about $15,000 to revamp the city hall side entrance to create a separate courthouse entrance, lobby, client/attorney meeting room, and entrance security.

Maricopa hired McCarville to lead the move to another city court. He is currently serving as Interim Chief Justice for this calendar year.

A Casa Grande resident, McCarville was classified as a regular part-time city employee and was paid $82.50 an hour.

McCarville has been a judge in the 5th Division of the Pinal County Superior Court for more than 20 years and was elected to his first term in 2001. In 2016, he was held with 78% support.

He resigned as Chief Justice of the Superior Court on May 3, 2021.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Creighton University in 1987 and his Juris Doctor degree from the Creighton School of Law.

Since its incorporation in 2003, Maricopa has processed district court proceedings at a shared facility, also shared by Judge Lyle Riggs.

“We are maturing as a city, which means we have new processes to take in and evolve as a community,” said Assistant City Manager Jennifer Brown.

She added that Maricopa is the only city in Pinal County that does not have an independent district court.

The new courthouse is located due east of City Hall and north of the current police station. It will take him 12-15 months to build a permanent facility.

About $2.7 million has been allocated this fiscal year to cover initial costs such as infrastructure design and construction, site improvements, and building foundations, according to a city spokesperson. The remainder of the project, including construction of buildings, furniture, fixtures, technology, audio/visual equipment, cameras, access control, security equipment, etc., is recommended to be financed from the 2024 budget.

“We want to be clear that it will be paid by the new developments, not the existing taxpayers,” Mayor Rick Horst said. By necessity, they should be paid for by those who are driving growth, not by those who are already here.”

New court buildings, like other city facilities, will be designed with expansion in mind. Plumbing, electrical and other utility stub outs make expansion easy when you need it.

The City Court is open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 5pm.

Meanwhile, the Pinal Judicial Court, presided over by Riggs, continues to operate out of the County Judicial Court building, and is responsible for evictions, small claims, civil violations, misdemeanors, civil traffic, orders of protection, and subpoenas by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy. We are dealing with county issues.

Riggs, whose contract with Maricopa expired on January 1, said:

“It has been an absolute privilege to serve as a magistrate for the city. I am grateful for the opportunity. I respect the wisdom of the council and the decisions they made.”

A fourth-generation Arizona native, Riggs was reelected in November as a justice of the peace on the Pinal County Court of Justice.

After graduating cum laude from the University of Arizona in 1991 with a degree in agricultural economics, Riggs graduated cum laude from Drake University School of Law in Des Moines, Iowa.

Of holding both positions, Riggs said, “I’ve worked hard to save the city and county a lot of money.

Among his credits for moving to video arraignments and pretrial meetings, he cites saving the Pinal County sheriff’s deputy time and the cost of transporting defendants from prison to court and vice versa. rice field.

“We’re one of the few courts in the county that still do everything on video,” says Riggs. “It’s a cost savings for the sheriff and a cost savings for the courts. Gas prices stay the same so we save money on fuel. We’ve built a strong partnership.”

Defendants are strongly urged to check their citations to ensure they appear in the correct courtroom.

Maricopa District Court Details: 520-494-2300.

Pinal County Court of Justice details: 520-866-3999.