Ohio law allows municipal corporations to conduct a mayor’s court if they are populated by more than 100 people and are not already the site of a municipal court.  Brunswick is one of the 330 Ohio municipal corporations—which includes cities and villages—reporting to the Supreme Court of Ohio in 2008 that they were operating a mayor’s court. 

Mayors’ courts hear only cases involving violations of local ordinances and state traffic laws.  Nearly 4,200 cases went through Brunswick’s Mayor’s Court in 2008, which includes all new filings, transfers, and re-activations.  For comparison purposes, a report showing the activity in all of Ohio’s mayors’ courts for 2008 can be accessed at this link.

State and local law specifies how the fines and costs collected in our Mayor’s Court are to be distributed.  Each month, a report is prepared for Brunswick’s City Council (the “Court Report”) detailing the distribution of monies collected in Brunswick’s Mayor’s Court the previous month.  The total amount collected from fines (both those imposed by the Mayor and those paid by persons waiving a court appearance), from court costs, and from premiums paid for appearance bonds, is deposited into a separate bank account set up by the City exclusively for these funds.  That total is identified in the monthly Court Report as the “deposit” for that month.

State law requires that the bulk of the court costs collected be transferred to the Treasurer of the State of Ohio.  A portion of the balance is transferred to the City’s Court Computer Fund, which funds equipment used to run the Mayor’s Court.  A nominal sum is deposited into the City’s E&E Fund (the “Education & Enforcement Fund”), which is used for the purchase of items related to OVI offenses, and into the City of Medina MIATF (the “Municipal Indigent Alcohol Treatment Fund”), which is used for alcohol treatment programs.  The balance of the funds is deposited with the City to help offset the cost of services provided by the Division of Police.  The “Service Charges/Fees” line item on the Court Report identifies banking service charges and fees.

Mayor's Court Financial Report:

July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010

Brunswick Mayor's Court is held each week on Tuesday at 5:30 pm. If you have a traffic citation, the court date appears on the bottom right hand corner. If your offense is waiverable and does not require a court appearance, your ticket must be paid in full by the scheduled court date.

In order to insure your rights are protected, neither the Mayor nor the prosecutor can discuss your specific case prior to court. However, should you have any questions regarding your citation or your appearance, please call the Clerk of Courts at Brunswick City Hall, 330-558-6870.

Fines, waivers, court costs and bonds can be paid at the Clerk of Courts office in Brunswick City Hall. All fines and costs must be paid in full prior to leaving court. Cash, check, Visa, MasterCard and Discover are acceptable for payments of these monies. All checks returned for nonpayment for any reason will result in the assessment of fees and charges in addition to the original fines and costs. It can also result in further legal action being initiated.