The city of Sammamish’s court costs decreased by 84 percent, or nearly $76,000, from 2014 to 2015, according to the city.

“About two years ago, we identified an issue with our court costs,” said Beth Goldberg, director of administrative services. “The general fund of our court costs was increasing pretty dramatically.”

The city’s court costs began increasing in 2009 from around $14,000 to a little more than $90,000 in 2013. During this time, the courts dismissed nearly 30 percent of all traffic infractions because either prosecutors were not present during the hearing in which people contested the infractions or there were errors in the way officers wrote some tickets, according to the city.

Additionally, paper-filed tickets cost 33 percent more to process, according to the city.

To curb and reduce costs, the city included funding in the 2015-2016 biennial budget for prosecutors to attend hearings. The city also stressed the use of electronic tickets.

Paper-filed tickets decreased from 262 in 2013 to 100 in 2015, an overall decrease of about 6 percent.

The city of Sammamish has contracted with King County District Court for its municipal court services since the city incorporated in 1999.

The City Council unanimously voted June 21 to continue its court services with King County at the Issaquah District Court facility in another five-year contract. Cities are responsible for judging misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, traffic and parking infractions and criminal traffic cases per state law. Cities can do this through their own municipal court or by contracting with other courts to process the cases.

In March, the city’s Public Safety Committee reviewed the current contract and compared remaining at the county’s district facility in Issaquah to two other options: either continuing with the county out of the Redmond facility or to enter into a new two-year contract with Issaquah Municipal Court.

The committee reviewed a variety of factors, including cost, judicial officers, inmate transport, use of technology and proximity and convenience.

“King County District Court gives us some advantages in that we, Sammamish residents, have the ability to elect the judges,” Goldberg said. “We have some flexibility in determining which judges hear Sammamish cases.”

This is not the case with Issaquah Municipal Court.

A large subset of Sammamish cases are domestic violence related, Goldberg said. The county offers victims a “one-stop” option to take care of all their needs, she said. The county’s use of technology, such as E-mitigation for traffic and parking tickets, also provides convenience to residents.Additionally, if the city were to transition from one court to another, Sammamish cases would be heard in two court systems for up to five years, Goldberg said.

Though the council voted to continue with King County, Councilmember Bob Keller suggested looking at Issaquah Municipal Court again in five years.

Court services, once contracted, will be addressed in the annual budget process.

Sammamish cases are heard at King County’s Issaquah District Court facility, at 5415 220th Ave. SE. The city’s current contract expires at the end of 2016.