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I imagine state laws and practices vary, but here's what happens where I'm from:
You go into Traffic Court, and you stand in a great long line. When you get to the front, you talk to somebody from the prosecutor's office. What you do, at this point, is ask for a continuance, called a PJC, a "Prayer for Judgement Continued". They'll look at your infraction and your record, and tell you whether they can do that or not.
Here in the Great State of North Carolina, you get one PJC per household every two years.
If they can agree to your request for a PJC, the judge bangs his gavel and the ticket goes away completely, for the price of court costs ($85, IIRC).
If the procescutor can't sign off on a PJC, ask him what he can do for you. His whole job is to reduce your infraction, make things fair. He's done this for everybody in the line ahead of you and he'll do it for everybody in the line behind you. If you don't have a record of moving violations, he'll likely reduce the charge (if it were speeding, he could drop it to 9 mph over the limit, for instance). If not, you're probably hosed and should just mail in the payment.
Any rate, what you agreed to goes on the court docket, and when your name is called, you go up in front of the judge, you and the prosecutor announce what you agreed on, the judge makes it official by banking his gavel, and you go stand in the cattle-stockade line to pay your court costs and fines.
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