District Library board hires law firm to review settlement on penal fines

After much discussion on the penal fine problem, at its Feb. 11 meeting the Belleville Area District Library board voted unanimously to hire attorney G. Hans Rentrop from Adkinson, Need, Allen, & Rentrop of Bloomfield Hills to work toward a solution to the miscalculated penal fines.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy was ill and unable to attend the meeting, but she recommended Rentrop, who has experience working in library and municipal law.
Deputy Library Director Hilary Savage, filling in at the meeting for Director Suchy, said the same firm represents libraries in Romeo, Oak Park, and Commerce Township libraries.
In December, the Belleville library was informed it has been paid $139,087.48 too much in court penal fines over the last ten years and needed to pay it back. The problem was that the Wayne County Treasurer’s office had been using the wrong percentages.
The Library of Michigan had reported in January that the majority of libraries in Wayne County expressed an interest in working as a group toward a solution to the fines miscalculated by the Wayne County Treasurer’s office.
Now, the Library of Michigan has indicated it will take no additional action relating to the fines. It gave the impacted libraries the contact information for the Wayne County Treasurer’s office and encouraged libraries to consult with their attorneys.
The initial retainer fee for Rentrop is $1,500, with additional hourly rates at $225 to $295, depending on which attorney does the work.
Board president Sharon Peters said the Library of Michigan is kind of bowing out, but encouraged each library to have its own counsel instead of all of them banding together, she said.
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” said board member Dan Fleming, noting it was unfair to have to spend money on an attorney when it was the county that made the mistake.
President Peters said the board voted in January to engage in the dialogue with the state. She said some libraries don’t owe and some do.
“Mary Jo [Suchy] knows the details well,” said Peters of the absent director. “But we don’t want this to be libraries fighting libraries.”
Board member Joy Cichewicz said the board has the money to just pay the penal fine amount back, but, “we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again … There’s an issue behind that.”
Also, Peters said some libraries said the numbers in the packet released weren’t accurate.
She said director Suchy recommended hiring this firm and her recommendation is respected.
“We’re running well and have the wherewithal to do this,” she said.
“This is the first step,” said vice-president Linda Priest. She said the attorney will give monthly statements.
“I hope there’s some way to reimburse us,” Fleming added.
Peters agreed, saying the attorney can see what can be done with the county, where the problem seems to be.
She said the local libraries didn’t have the formula the county used.
“I sense the reluctance on the part of the board because we didn’t do anything wrong,” Peters said.
“It might require a lawsuit to get our money back,” said treasurer Tanya Stoudemire.
After the motion passed, Peters said, “The concerns of our board are noted.”
In other business at the 90-minute meeting, the board:
• Was advised that library assistant Nikki Pickeral will be support staff for Suchy at every upcoming library board meeting to help with the video recording of the session for posting online. Peters said Suchy had to crawl around under the board table at the last meeting to fix the camera and the meeting, which was to start with Judge Lisa Martin swearing in the newly elected board members, was delayed because of that;
• Accepted the quote of up to $37,787 from O’Neal Construction for the acquiring and installing the public bathroom automated door openers. This will come out of the Capital Fund budget. The quote is lower than the original quote of $49,200 for the work. It’s about $5,000 each for six bathroom doors, plus up to $1,800 for drywall and paint repairs. This is to allow for easy access by wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers. New board member Dr. Maria Jackson-Smith asked why the doors weren’t installed when the building was first built. Peters said there were some things the board had to cut to fit the budget at that time;
• Learned Matt Ratzow of O’Neal Construction is working to secure quotes for a vape detection system for the bathrooms;
• Was advised the library received the most recent Detroit Suburban Library Roundtable salary survey results and this will be given to the personnel committee to review the salary range recommendations for all positions. The salary range document was last reviewed two years ago;
• Noted library assistant Amber Kelly is outgoing staff and incoming staff members are clerks Jen Elliott and Alexis Serini, plus shelver Ross O’Brien;
• Learned two history programs will be fetured at the library in March: “Detroit’s Dynamite Dames” at 6:30 p.m. March 3 and “A Woman’s Place is Under the Dome” at 7 p.m., March 5. Also, the Western Wayne County Quilting Guild will present “Sewing for Kids!” on March 8. Kids can sign up for a one-hour slot. Also, the library’s Seed Library opens March 1. Gardeners are invited to stop by between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to select seeds, borrow tools, find books, and talk to other gardeners; and
• Heard Cichewicz announce that she will not be at the March meeting because she will be on a vacation trip with her husband. She said she is retiring as from the Ypsilanti District Library on Feb. 22.
Board secretary Alma Hughes-Grubbs was absent from the meeting due to illness.