HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 1986.05.22 - 10791May 22, 1986
Miscellaneous Resolution # 86162
By: County Commissioner, John T. Rowland, et al
In Re: District Courts—Policy Position Regarding Removal of Oakland
County as District Control Unit for 52nd District Court
To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Mr. Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS various control units for district courts of the third class
within Oakland County have requested that their courts become courts of
the second class, thus becoming part of the 52nd district for which the County of
Oakland is the control unit; and
WHEREAS the cost of operating most of these district courts far exceeds
the court revenue allocated to the control unit; and
WHEREAS these district court deficits will be incresed by the diversion
of an ever-increasing amount of revenue to the public libraries as a result of the
Court of Appeals decision in Case No. 52103, Saginaw Public Libraries vs. Judges
of the 70th District Court; and
WHEREAS it appears highly unlikely that the state legislature will amend
the district court control statutes as requested by the Board of Commissioners on
Miscellaneous Resolution #85336 to effect a more equitable distribution of court
revenues by ending the diversion of district court income to various state programs
and to local units of government which bear none of the costs of the court opera-
tions; and
WHEREAS the County of Oakland, like all local units of government,
now faces financial uncertainties due to proposed cutbacks in state and federal
funds; and
WHEREAS the citizens of certain cities, villages and townships fund their
own courts as well as pay county taxes to support the 52nd District Court; and
WHEREAS this system is patently inequitable; and
WHEREAS the current state statues allowing the state legislature to change
the class of the district court, thus transferring the responsibility from one local
unit to another, would require the consent of the control unit.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Oakland County petition the state
legislature forthwith to remove the County of Oakland as the District Control Unit for
the 52nd District Court.
John T. Rowland
/County Cornmissipner, District #7
4"tPet3
MR. CHAIRPERSON, we moved the adoption of the foregoing resolution.
#86I62 May 22, 1986
The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee.
There were no objections.