HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2000.03.09 - 26122Miscellaneous Resolution # 00 055 _
BY: Commissioner Lawrence A. Obrecht, District #3 Commissioner Kay Schmid, District
#17, Commissioner Frank H. Millard, Jr., District #4, Commissioner Nancy
Dingeldey, District #11, Commissioner Ron Colasanti, District #10, Commissioner
Fran Amos, District # 5, Commissioner Bill Patterson, District #1, Commissioner
Terry Sever, District #19, Commissioner David Galloway, District #2
RE: Support — SB 257 for 52n d District Court: Additional Judge and Combined
District
TO: Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS, the caseload handled by district court judges in the 52 District Court
had doubled in the past decade; and
WHEREAS, currently the first division of the 52' District Court has three judges an
consists of the Cities of Novi, South Lyon, Wixom, and Walled Lake and the townships of
Milford, Highland, Rose, White Lake, Commerce, Lyon, and Novi in Oakland County; and
WHEREAS, The estimation of judicial workload and a community's need for judges
is a complex and multi-dimensional process. Most states consider both quantitative and
qualitative factors in determining the need for judgeships. Three commonly used
measures, which are compared to provide an initial indicator of judicial need: weighted
caseload, average caseload per judge, and regression. Resource recommendations are
made only after an extended analysis is conducted of the individual jurisdiction with
available quantitative and qualitative information, such as the make up of the caseload,
caseload trends prosecutor and law enforcement practices, staffing levels, facilities,
technological resources, need for assignments to or from other jurisdictions, demographics,
local legal culture, and local judicial philosophy, and
WHEREAS, Judicial workload estimates for the four divisions of District 52 are as
follows:
Number Court Weighted Average Regression Actual
Caseload Caseload Judges
D-52-1 Oakland-Novi 4.07 4.10 3.89 3
D-52-2 Oakland-Clarkston 1.40 1.40 1.51 1
D-52-3 Oakland-Rochester 3.29 3.45 3.31 3
D-52-4 Oakland-Troy & Clawson 2.51 2.20 2.21 3
WHEREAS, In 1998 162,956 new cases were filed in the 52ND District Court
representing an increase of 12.2% from 1990. Statewide new filings increased by 8.3%.
Total new filings per judge in the 52'd District Court are 27% greater than the statewide
average per judge.
a
de, Li
Lawrence obyecnt, Distric
Conimissioner Frank H. Millard, Jr., District #4
*-7
ingeldey istr,j---Tc7—t #11, Cbmmissionei- Nancy
,/"Mr. Chairperson, I move th adoption of the foregoing Resolution.
Commissioner Ron Colasanti, District #10 mmpsioner Fran Amos, District # 5
4/Aavi
CommissioOr Bill P tterson trict #1
WHEREAS, Two statistical indicators of a court's comparative performance are
clearance rates and backlog indices. This Court's clearance rate is 96% compared to the
state's rating of 97.1%. A backlog ratio greater than 1.00 indicates that the court disposed
of fewer cases over the course of a year than were pending at the beginning of the year.
This court's backlog index for 1998 was 0.56 compared to the statewide ratio of 0.40, and
WHEREAS, Total new cases filed in the 52-1 District Court in 1998 represent an
increase of 13.3% from 1990 filing, whereas new filings statewide increased by 8.3%.
Filings per judge in the 52nd District Court are 49.2% higher than statewide.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Oakland County Board of
Commissioners supports HB 257 and the efforts to consolidate District Courts D-52-1 and
D-52-2 into one district and add an additional judge. Consolidation will allow movement
of judges and cases across County district lines allowing the expeditious determination of
pending cases; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
does hereby request that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Governor, all
Michigan legislators, the 52nd District Court judges, and the Oakland County legislative
agents.
4,"\-V
Commissionter,Terry Sever, District #19
;trict Commissioner David Galloway, District #2 FfiTT, Pi STA cr
/
Resolution #00055 March 9, 2000
The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee
and the Finance Committee. There were no objections.