Romulus City Council approves bond sale for 34th District Court

At its Aug. 28 meeting, the Romulus City Council unanimously approved a notice of intent to issue 25-year capital improvement bonds of no more than $17 million to pay the cost for acquisition, construction, furnishing, and equipping a new facility for the 34th District Court, along with the necessary parking and site improvements.
34th District Court Chief Judge Tina Brooks Green, Judge David Parrott, Judge Brian Oakley, and Magistrate Al Hindman were present in the audience, along with the city attorney, bond counsel, and other officials.
Councilwoman Sylvia Makowski said this supports the relationship Romulus has had for a long time as the host community for the court.
“Not only is it lucrative for us, but this project will be fully funded by the court fees,” Councilwoman Makowski said. “There’s a commitment there. No money from the city of Romulus general fund will go toward this.”
Makowski said the city has a history with the court and, “They put out a budget plan every year and they achieve it every year. The risk to this is virtually none.”
Bond Counsel Patrick McGow said the debt service on the bonds will be funded by court fees. He said a couple of years ago the court instituted a fee to pay for this.
He said the city will back up the bonds with the full faith and credit of the city and if there is a shortfall, the city would have to pay.
The auditor from Plante Moran said it’s not coming from property tax and they will look at the situation several times a year. He said the project will be more than $17 million total and the court already has funds on hand. If the project comes in over budget, the court will be able to cover it between the cash and bond amount, he said.
Romulus City attorney Steve Hitchcock said the court will have $750,000 in its cash fund when construction begins and if something unforeseen happens, a contingency fund is already in place.
Robert McCraight, Director of the Department of Building and Safety, said they hope to start construction in March after the frost lifts. If they have a late winter, they will start in early spring, McCraight said.
The council also unanimously approved a Memo of Understanding with the court with the purpose of pursuing construction of the new 34th District Court in the City of Romulus with the court paying for it. The agreement allows court officials to adjust the fee schedule throughout the year in case the court revenues were in jeopardy of falling short of repaying the debt.
On Sept. 20, Judge Green said the city is now in the 45-day wait period to see if there is any opposition before selling the bonds. They hope to sell the bonds by the end of the year.
Judge Green said she had promised to visit each of the four other communities in the 34th District Court district to talk to them about the court construction, but she wants to make sure everything is final before she comes.
“We think it’s a pretty good plan,” Romulus Mayor LeRoy Burcoff told the council.
The need to improve the court has been evident for some time, he said, and plans got underway last year to renovate and expand the existing facility. But, when the bids came in at more than $11 million, the court and city officials agreed a new structure would be better in the long term.
The present court is 30,000 square feet and the new court will be about 45,000 square feet. It will feature another courtroom and enhanced security features.
“Renovating the court wasn’t practical,” Mayor Burcroff said. “We looked at ways for the court to take us into the future.”
According to the most recent plans, the court would be built right next to the present court on the Romulus City campus.