Colleyville and Keller, Texas October 10, 2015
The cities of Colleyville and Keller made history in 2012 when they became the first in Texas to merge their municipal court services. Three years later the success of that partnership has earned them the Texas Municipal League’s Excellence Award for Management Innovations.
“After extensive research and study, leaders in both Keller and Colleyville concluded that this precedent-setting merger made sense for our cities. It gave us a way to deliver the same or better service to our citizens at a lower cost,” remarked Colleyville Mayor David Kelly. “For the taxpayers in Colleyville and Keller, it’s been a winning proposition.”
The costs of the combined court is shared between the two cities and paid in direct proportion to the percentage of citations issued. On average, Keller realizes an annual savings of more than $140,000 as a result of the merger, while Colleyville saves more than $50,000 annually. The agreement also saved Keller taxpayers an estimated $3.5 million in capital costs that would have been required to construct a new municipal court facility to serve its growing population.
The cities shared similar municipal court operational policies and procedures, and used the same service providers for prosecution, software, and warrant collections—all of which paved the way for a combined court. Colleyville and Keller (along with Southlake and Westlake) have successfully operated a joint 911 dispatch and jail facility since 2010, and a regional animal services unit since 2012.
TML is an association of more than 1,140 Texas cities working primarily to serve the needs and advocate the interests of municipalities statewide. Awarded annually at the organization’s annual conference, the Municipal Excellence Awards recognize and encourage the achievements of cities in meeting the challenges of municipal government.
