ISLAND CITY – Come Jan. 5, the Island City Council Chamber will be converted to a courtroom, a situation that will repeat itself from time to time now that Union County is home to a new justice court.

Steve McClure, Union County Commission chairman, said District Attorney Martin Birnbaum recommended creating the new lower court for two reasons, to increase county revenue and to relieve pressure on Union County Circuit Court.

“We were looking at some significant revenue reductions from the state, so the district attorney recommended that by creating a justice court more of the revenue from the fines could stay in the county,” McClure said.

Rick Dall, a La Grande attorney who has served as municipal court judge for the City of Union for the past seven years, will preside over the court. Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed him Union County justice of the peace Oct. 29.

McClure said the county budgeted about $45,000 for the new court. Commissioners expect it will support itself or more than support itself. Revenue generated will support the court first, then other public safety departments.

“I’m very pleased with Rick Dall’s appointment,” McClure said.” It’s going to take some time to see how it works out, but I think we’re on the right track.”

This is not the first time Union County has had a justice court, Dall said.

“There was a justice court here in Union county years and years ago, way before my time,” he said.

Oregon’s district courts were closed a number of years ago, he said, and all cases sent to circuit courts in counties that had no justice courts. In Union County, he said, that’s put a burden on circuit court.

“To start out with, we’re just dealing with violations,” Dall said, such as traffic, game and weighmaster citations. No small claims or criminal misdemeanor cases are being accepted yet, he said.

“We’ve spent the last few weeks just trying to establish an office, Dall said. “We’ve put out notices to law enforcement that they can begin citing people in and we’ve started receiving citations already.”

Police officers are not required to cite alleged offenders into the new justice court, but it gives them another option.

“They still can cite people into circuit court, but we’re hoping to take the majority of tickets away from circuit court,” Dall said.

The new JP’s salary has not been determined. Dall said he’s researching salaries of other Oregon justices of the peace to make a recommendation to the county commissioners.