City Court Return Goes Smoothly

Cookeville City Court held session Tuesday for the first time since the COVID pandemic shut it down in March.

The session operated at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center to ensure social distancing. City Court Clerk Cheryl Chambers said city officials are still unsure when the court will resume normal operations.

“It depends on the docket itself,” Chambers said. “If it ends up being a large docket, we will continue to have it at CPAC, probably. As for right now, I’ve heard nothing different other than us having it here at City Hall.”

Chambers said holding the court at CPAC went smoothly, but she was disappointed in the turnout. She said only seven people showed up for their case.

“We had some police officers there and the employees on hand,” Chambers said. “They guided everyone and maintained all the distance necessary. It went very well.”

Cookeville City Court typically meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Cookeville Municipal Building on Broad Street. She said as City Court begins to return to normal, she expects to see bigger dockets and more activity.

“We have quite a few people who did not show up,” Chambers said. “We have had calls that have come in (Wednesday), and it’s taking a while for everybody to kind of regroup and get back into the swing of normal capacity.

City Courts in Tennessee hear cases involving violations of municipal ordinances. The most common citations are speeding tickets or traffic violations, but they also hear code violations and safety ordinances, as well.