By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorMunicipal court reform across the state has led to minor changes in Warrenton.Defendants facing minor traffic violations will not pay more than $300 for fines and court costs, and will not be charged fees for failing to pay fines or appear in Warrenton Municipal Court.The changes mirror those of Senate Bill 5 passed by state legislators earlier this year and are a response from the Ferguson riots in 2014. The law limits how much revenue municipalities and towns can collect from traffic citations. The new state law took effect Aug. 28.“As some of you are aware, big pieces of legislation that passed post Ferguson was a reform measure of municipal court,” City Attorney Chris Graville said. “To conform, we essentially have to define certain traffic offenses that do not allow punishment of jail time and don’t allow fines that exceed $300.”A minor traffic violation in Warrenton is considered a municipal code violation that does not involve an accident or injury, does not involve the operation of a commercial vehicle and results in no more than four points assessed on someone’s driving record. It would not include exceeding the speed limit by more than 19 mph or a violation occurring within a construction or school zone. The ordinance also clarifies the penalty should a minor traffic violation occur.Under the revised ordinance, a defendant would not face a fine exceeding $300; will avoid jail time unless the violation involves alcohol or controlled substances, child endangerment, eluding or giving false information to police; will not be confined for failure to pay unless the nonpayment violates the terms of a person’s probation; and no court costs shall be assessed if the case is dismissed or the defendant is found to indigent based on standards set by the 12th Circuit presiding judge.“These are the only changes that we had to make to our code,” Graville said. “A lot of this stuff is procedural.”The state law caps the amount of revenue collected from minor traffic violations at 20 percent and 12.5 percent for St. Louis County and the municipalities within it. The previous cap was 30 percent.For the 2015 fiscal year ending June 30, the Warrenton Municipal Court had revenue of $353,678, which was 5 percent of the city’s general operating revenue.Warrenton aldermen adopted the revised ordinance by a 5-0 vote on Dec. 1. Ward 3 Alderman Jim Dreyer was absent.Courthouse