Ben Lipps
CUMBERLAND – Officials have started the process of abolishing the town’s court due to its lack of financial viability and the opening of a new court nearby.
Ben Lipps, Cumberland town manager, said the court has been in existence for about eight years after being created two election cycles ago. Its caseload is predominantly made up of traffic violations. The court meets in Cumberland Town Hall. Michael R. Franceschini has served as the elected judge since 2018. Cumberland Metropolitan Police Department dispatchers staff the court.
Before the court was created, Cumberland police officers had to go to courts in downtown Indianapolis for cases involving charges alleged in the part of town in Marion County, which Lipps said was inconvenient.
“So the town created a court here in town to fill that need,” he continued.
Recently, however, Marion County opened a court not far from Cumberland’s police station on East Washington Street, making it much more convenient for officers to visit, Lipps said.
“Financially the court’s not really been viable,” he added.
It’s not uncommon for alleged violators to choose to contest their charges and then not appear for their court dates, Lipps said.
“We were holding court pretty routinely and people weren’t showing up for those cases,” he continued.
Cumberland Town Council voted unanimously last month to introduce an ordinance abolishing the court at the end of 2023. After that, cases will go to courts in Hancock or Marion counties, depending on which side of town alleged violations occur.
“That gives the officers plenty of time to schedule their future cases,” Lipps said.
The town budgeted $51,000 for the court in 2023.
“It’s not necessarily a huge amount, but every tax dollar we can save when it makes sense to is what we’re going to do,” Lipps said.
Officials will determine how to use those funds going forward during 2024 budget talks next year.
“We anticipate that money to be reallocated to public safety, to the police department,” Lipps said. “It serves the same group of people. Every department has their needs right now, but I think the police department is where we try to prioritize getting them to where they need to be funding-wise.”
