Municipal court operations in some of the smallest communities in St. Louis County are being folded into larger ones, in a program announced Tuesday by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Municipal courts in Charlack, Northwoods and Vinita Park are moving to St. Ann municipal court. And the courts in Bellerive Acres, Cool Valley, Glen Echo Park, Greendale, Pasadena Park and Uplands Park are working on plans to consolidate within Normandy municipal court.

The population of the nine cities joining larger courts is about 10,500, about 1 percent of the county’s total population.

“By reducing costs, sharing operations, as well as clerical and judicial personnel, we hope to reduce the incentive to use municipal divisions as revenue generators rather than to ensure public safety,” Missouri Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge said in a statement.

The courts joining St. Ann have agreed to pay flat fees to run their court operations based on the volume of their caseload; terms were not immediately available Tuesday.

St. Ann will provide the judge, clerks and file storage. The cities will retain their own prosecutors and their dockets will remain separate. For example, Charlack will have its own court night in St. Ann, said St. Ann City Administrator Matt Conley.