2009 Ohio Mayors Courts Summary

While traffic cases in Ohio municipal and county courts -- constituting 42 percent of new filings -- was at its lowest mark since 2000 with 1,259,095 filings, a 7 percent decrease from 2008, more than 300,000 new cases were filed in Ohio's 330 mayors courts in 2009 following a four-year decline in that venue. Just the opposite.

The Supreme Court's 2009 Mayors Courts Summary, released last Friday, reported "The total new filings for all case types increased by 6 percent over 2008, mainly due to a 7 percent year-over-year increase in 'Other Traffic' cases, which includes any traffic cases other than OVI (operating a vehicle while under the influence) cases."

In 2003, the General Assembly made mayors court registration and reporting with the Supreme Court mandatory, and, beginning in 2004, the courts began filing quarterly reports under the new law. Statewide, mayors' courts averaged 22 cases per 100 residents in 2009.

Around this area, Hamilton County's 33 mayors courts reported a total of 71,554 cases last year. Butler County with its three courts had 3,917; Clermont's nine courts had 6,126; and Warren County's seven mayors courts had a total of 6,416