BLAND — The Bland Municipal Court collected $5,190 in fines during June, according to a court report presented during the July 13 meeting of the Bland Board of Aldermen.

Of the total amount collected, $31.73 was distributed to the Police Officer Safety Training (POST) Fund, $226.35 to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund and $222.22 to the Court Automation Fund, which supports the Case.net and Show-Me Courts software systems.

After those required distributions, the City of Bland retained $4,709.70 in fine revenue.

The report also showed the court currently has 92 new citations awaiting arraignment, 29 show-cause cases involving failures to appear, six continued cases, 10 cases scheduled for trial and four bond hearings. In addition, five warrants have been issued for failure to appear.

The next session of Bland Municipal Court is scheduled for 6 p.m., Aug. 24, at the John L. Baxter City Administration Building.

Following the report, board members praised Municipal Court Clerk Julie Solan for her work.

Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Holtz agreed, noting that while the judge and prosecutor preside over court proceedings, the clerk is responsible for much of the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the court operating efficiently.

“She’s the one that makes their job work,” Holtz said.

Mayor Merrilee Spurgeon also expressed support for maintaining Bland’s municipal court, noting that the state has encouraged consolidation of some smaller municipal courts.

“I don’t want to,” Spurgeon said, referring to the possibility of losing the city’s local court.

Holtz said he is continuing to work toward implementing an electronic ticket-writing system, which would allow more court-related work to be completed electronically and provide additional flexibility for the court clerk.