Shelby To Take Emergency Vote on Holding February Elections for 41A Court Move

The Shelby Township Board of Trustees will take an emergency vote Dec. 14 at a work session on whether or not to hold a February election to place the question of moving the before voters. 

No vote was taken during the Thursday, where the board further discussed the proposed language for the ballot, and took a straw poll to gauge if there was enough support to continue the discussion of holding a special election to vote on building a new courthouse.

Supervisor Rick Stathakis, who has vowed to get the question before voters, said based on the poll, he believes there is a chance that he can get the four votes needed from Trustees to hold the election.

, which was crafted by township attorney Rob Huth as a "starting point" states: “Do you support the Shelby Township Board of Trustees securing funds by allocation from the general fund, selling bonds, and/or authorizing tax revenues, to support the design and construction of a new District Court Building in Shelby Township?”

The approved language for the ballot would need to be submitted to the county by a Dec. 20 deadline in order to make it for the Feb. 28 elections.

Stathakis said the board does not normally make emergency agenda item votes during work sessions, but he would need to get the language written and find a way to fund the $5,000 cost of holding a special election.

"I’m doing everything I can to get this on the ballot, including fund it," he said.

The current court building is 33 years old and Stathakis said the township is running the facility to the ground. The 41A Court serves Macomb Township, Shelby and Utica. Discussions have been in the works for years on whether to build a new courthouse in Shelby or move it to Macomb Township.

Some residents suggested at a board meeting on Tuesday that Shelby should consider combining the 41A District Court with a new fire department building. 

"If we had money in the bank, we would build it, but there is little money in Court Building Fund. By the end of 2012, there will be a half million dollars, hardly enough to build a court," said Stathakis.