Macomb Clerk: Decision to Relocate 41A District Court Not in 'Forseeable Future'

may have renewed relocation discussions for the 41A District Court, but Macomb Township Clerk Michael Koehs said residents should not expect any action by Macomb's board in “the foreseeable future.”

“It’s not scheduled in the foreseeable future on our township board agenda, not at this stage,” he said. “It’s something the board is considering. We’ll get a copy of what the attorneys (of Shelby and Macomb) send, read it, analyze it and then respond appropriately.”

This move to renew negotiations comes almost a year after following concerns that Shelby Township was not providing written acknowledgement that it would claim responsibility for court retiree health care costs. 

“All we wanted was to say that if Macomb Township built a new courthouse and we opened it up on Jan. 1, 2020, that’s the day we would start being responsible for (any costs) incurred after that date. Before that date it’s the current control unit’s responsibility, which is Shelby,”

With the new resolution confirming that Shelby would cover health care costs for already retired court employees, negotiations between the two communities have resumed.

However, the issue of current employee health care costs remains and while Shelby Township attorney Rob Huth has suggested some form of a cost-share agreement, Koehs said Macomb Township would only approve plans that would not be “a burden on our citizens.”

When asked if the township would consider a cost-share agreement, Koehs said, “anything they send us, we will evaluate.”

As of Wednesday morning, Huth and Macomb Township attorney, Lawrence Dloski, were in contact regarding this issue.

Should the court move to Macomb, a likely location would be the on Broughton Road, just off 25 Mile Road.