A ticket or citation (sometimes a report is received and a complaint is generated to summons a person to appear in court) is issued by an officer, and a copy of the ticket is filed in the Cottonwood Shores Municipal Clerk’s Office. The ticket is entered, and the defendant (the person to whom the ticket was issued) is to appear at the clerk’s office by the date written on the ticket. If a person wishes to pay the fine, he/she is allowed to do so without appearing (all city code violations must appear before the judge for sentencing). If a person wishes to appear before the judge, he/she is placed on an arraignment docket and is summoned to appear before the judge.