Court Security Contract OK’d, New Admin Welcomed

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A $160,000 weapons screening contract with the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office has been approved for the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor. City council approval came at its March 17, 2014 meeting.

At the same meeting, the council was introduced to the new 15th District Court administrator, Shryl Samborn.

The 15th District Court is housed at Ann Arbor’s Justice Center – the police/courts facility immediately adjoining the Larcom city hall building at the northeast corner of Huron and Fifth. Aside from salaries for judges, which are reimbursed by the state of Michigan, funding for the court is the responsibility of the city of Ann Arbor.

The total amount of the weapons screening contract reflects an amount of $26.24 per hour per court security officer. According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, it’s estimated that three officers would be assigned on a given day with hours staggered to match the ebb and flow of court business through a typical day.

Samborn was introduced as the new court administrator, who’ll start work in that position in a couple of weeks. She is currently deputy administrator. Current administrator Keith Zeisloft is retiring. His last day of work for the court is March 28.

Samborn has worked in public service since 1998, starting with the Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds, then moving to the 15th District Court in 2002. She began her work in the 15th District Court as secretary to judge Julie Creal, and becoming secretary for court administrator Keith Zeisloft in 2004. She became deputy court administrator in 2007. Her undergraduate degree is from Eastern Michigan University. She’ll be enrolling in the fall of 2014 as a graduate student in Michigan State University’s school of criminal justice judicial administration masters program.

In the state of Michigan, district courts handle all civil claims up to $25,000, including small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, land contract disputes, and civil infractions. Washtenaw County has three district courts – 15th District Court for the city of Ann Arbor, 14B District Court for Ypsilanti Township, and the 14A District Court (with four physical venues) for the rest of Washtenaw County. Ann Arbor’s 15th District Court also handles preliminary exams for felony cases.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron.