With the new year, Cole County will have a new associate circuit judge, which means Jefferson City will need a new municipal judge.
Current Municipal Court Judge Cotton Walker won the Cole County associate circuit judge race earlier this week, beating competitor Gaylin Carver 60 percent to 29.89 percent, according to the Cole County unofficial, but complete election results.
His win means there will soon be a vacant judge position at the city level. To fill the expected vacancy, Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin - with the Jefferson City Council's consent - will appoint a judge to fill the position once Walker takes over his new job in January.
The appointed judge would serve from Jan. 1, 2019 until Jefferson City voters elect a municipal court judge in the April 2, 2019, election, City Counselor Ryan Moehlman said.
The city is accepting applications for the temporary position through Nov. 26, Moehlman said. Applications can be delivered to City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St., or emailed to [email protected].
Tergin will select an appointee, and a majority of the council is likely to give its consent Dec. 17, Tergin said.
"We look forward to appointing the new judge during the interim time period," Tergin said. "We thank Judge Cotton Walker for his service. He's really done a fine job in that position, and although we will miss having him in that position, we congratulate him."
Visit jeffersoncitymo.gov for the application.
While the city charter states the mayor must appoint a temporary judge if the position is vacant, Moehlman said, it does not outline the process for selecting the judge.
"The charter does not require an application process," he said. "It doesn't have a process really at all spelled out, but we think using an application process and seeing who out there is interested is a good way to go about it."
The same qualifications that apply to the elected municipal judge would apply to the appointed judge, Tergin and Moehlman said.
The municipal judge must be a Jefferson City resident between the ages of 24 and 75 and be a licensed attorney who is qualified to practice law in the state, according to a 1978 ordinance. A judge can't hold any other office within the city, the ordinance states.
The judge would hear municipal court cases, implement and suspend fines and sentences, issue warrants, administer oaths, and fine or imprison those who violate city law.
The compensation of the temporary municipal judge appointed by the mayor "shall be the same salary, pro rata, as the regular municipal judge," according to city code.
The elected municipal judge's compensation is nearly $2,916 a month, according to a 2016 city ordinance.