Gregory Unterbrink
515 E. Main St.
Van Wert, Ohio 45891
Phone: 419-232-2700
The Law Director serves in two specific roles on behalf of
Van Wert, Ohio. This official is both a legal advisor to the city and a prosecutor
in Van Wert Municipal Court.
Legal Advisor to the City
The Law Director is required to attend all city council meetings, prepare all legislation
for the city, represent it in any litigation, review and approve contracts, issue legal
opinions upon the request of city officials.
Within this role, several major projects include:
Total revision of city council's chapter 30,
"Council's Rules and Procedures," which hasn't been addressed since the early
1960šs.
Revision of Chapter 50, "Water and Sewer Connection
Fees. "
Updating the format for city council's legislation,
creating a log of all legislation for easy reference, and generally modernizing the
way in which legislation is handled.
Prosecutor in the Van Wert Municipal Court
The Van Wert Municipal Court has county-wide jurisdiction on all misdemeanor cases, e.g.,
driving under the influence of alcohol, domestic violence, assaults, and traffic cases.
The Law Director prosecutes all pending cases, attends all arraignments, and interviews
victims. She also acts as an advisor for law enforcement officers.
Private filings of criminal charges require that a report of the offense be filed with law
enforcement officials prior to the Law Director's reviewing the case with the
complainant. Bad check procedure is an exception to this rule.
Due to the requirements of the Ohio Revised Code, a <bad check
procedure> has been established locally for checks under $500 which must be
followed before the bad check can be presented to the Van Wert Municipal Court for
criminal prosecution.
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