No traffic court for Naperville
The twice-a-decade discussion on whether Naperville should build or operate its own traffic court has reared its head but the answer is the same.
According to the results of yearlong study conducted by the police department, neither the construction of a new facility for field court, nor the operation of a field court in an existing city facility are feasible. Construction, operational and staffing costs would outweigh any potential cost savings realized by locating a facility in Naperville.
“The topic comes up once every five years but the reality is we just don’t have the dollars to throw at it,” said City Manager Doug Krieger. “We’re certainly a big enough community, but the math has to work. We’ve found its much easier to keep the existing one than to start a new one from scratch.”
According to the study results, there is no existing city facility that could house a field court. Constructing a facility adjacent to the police department, would save an estimated $46,000 per year in overtime costs and $8,000 per year in mileage reimbursements.
Currently the department’s 85 officers each average 14 court dates per year. Of those 1,190 appearances, about 798 of them are during off-duty hours and require the average overtime rate of $57.15.
That $54,000 in savings, however, would be quickly diminished by the estimated $2.5 million cost to build the new facility and $30,000 annual utility costs.
As for staffing the court, the DuPage Circuit Court would be required to staff an associate judge at $140,000 a year. The DuPage County Sheriff would be required to provide a deputy for security at $72,000 per year. Also required would be a $55,000 assistant state’s attorney and a $25,000 Deputy County Clerk.
“In the grand scheme of things, the math does not make any sense,” Krieger said. “This issue is likely not going any further.”
The 18th Judicial Circuit Court has four traffic field courts in DuPage County: in Addison, Downers Grove, Glendale Heights and Wheaton, the latter where Naperville cases are heard.