City continues to pursue municipal court alternative

When the Crook County Sheriff’s Office took over policing in the City of Sundance, the council decided to petition the Wyoming Supreme Court for the county’s Circuit Court Judge to hear ordinance violation cases.

The intention was to remove the need for a municipal court in Sundance.

The process is still ongoing, however, due to complicated timelines. City Attorney Mark Hughes reported to the council last week that he is hopeful a resolution will be reached soon.

Judge Matthew F.G. Castano had been receptive to the idea of having Circuit Court take over jurisdiction of municipal issues, Hughes said. A draft agreement had been sent to him for review, which was to be shared with the Wyoming Supreme Court.

However, Judge Castano was then appointed to District Court. Hughes said that newly appointed Circuit Court Judge Lynda R. Bush has said she will be happy to meet with him to finalize the details.

Hughes expressed that he has a strong desire to see this achieved, telling the council he has been contacted by citizens wanting to, for example, make a complaint about dog noise, and has had to tell them their complaint won’t get heard at this time. Things are moving forward, he said, and the interruption should soon be solved.