Hello, I am just checking to see if other counties had a drastic cut to their penal fines this year? Our County just paid out and it was HALF what all of us had budgeted for the year, based on the past 10+ years. Was there a diversion of funds from Penal Fines that I didn’t catch or is my county just not issuing enough fines? 😊 Thanks!
Hello Amy: Joe Hamlin, who manages the penal fine program for LM, is on vacation until the end of this week. I can tell you, however, that all of the information we receive from the County Treasurers regarding the amount of penal fines they distributed has not yet been fully received and analyzed. Penal fines can be affected by many factors including caseload, changes in the laws, local police enforcement, etc. Penal fines vary so drastically from county to county, the amounts other libraries received may not be of much help to you in why yours were less. It is unlikely a diversion (which actually rarely happens) but if you e-mail Joe at hamlinJ2@michigan.gov<mailto:hamlinJ2@michigan.gov> and let him know how much you received and your concerns, he can assist you. In addition, you should contact your county treasurer because they are the best source to explain how they arrived at the amount of money you received. I “cc’d” Joe on this e-mail and he will see it when he returns. I hope this helps! Sincerely, Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov<mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan<https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners. [cid:image002.png@01DC06CE.4002D7B0] Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer! Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp<http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup>. [Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated]<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>. From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> On Behalf Of WCCL Amy Stockwell via Michlib-l Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:20 PM To: michlib-l@mcls.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to abuse@michigan.gov<mailto:abuse@michigan.gov> Hello, I am just checking to see if other counties had a drastic cut to their penal fines this year? Our County just paid out and it was HALF what all of us had budgeted for the year, based on the past 10+ years. Was there a diversion of funds from Penal Fines that I didn’t catch or is my county just not issuing enough fines? 😊 Thanks! [Amy.org Signature]
Thank you! I am good friends with our deputy treasurer for the county and my text to her was “Do we no longer arrest people in this county?? What happened to my penal fines?!” They simply didn’t collect them so there isn’t anything to disperse. I was kind of hoping that it was actually a diversion so I had someone somewhere to blame other than the judge who might try one of my cases someday. 😊 From: Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov> Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:33 PM To: WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org>; michlib-l@mcls.org Cc: Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> Subject: RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut Hello Amy: Joe Hamlin, who manages the penal fine program for LM, is on vacation until the end of this week. I can tell you, however, that all of the information we receive from the County Treasurers regarding the amount of penal fines they distributed has not yet been fully received and analyzed. Penal fines can be affected by many factors including caseload, changes in the laws, local police enforcement, etc. Penal fines vary so drastically from county to county, the amounts other libraries received may not be of much help to you in why yours were less. It is unlikely a diversion (which actually rarely happens) but if you e-mail Joe at hamlinJ2@michigan.gov <mailto:hamlinJ2@michigan.gov> and let him know how much you received and your concerns, he can assist you. In addition, you should contact your county treasurer because they are the best source to explain how they arrived at the amount of money you received. I “cc’d” Joe on this e-mail and he will see it when he returns. I hope this helps! Sincerely, Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov <mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). Michigan’s <https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> Top 10 Strategic Education Plan provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners. Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer! Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! <http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup> Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp. <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Michigan.gov/Vote. From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org <mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> > On Behalf Of WCCL Amy Stockwell via Michlib-l Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:20 PM To: michlib-l@mcls.org <mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to <mailto:abuse@michigan.gov> abuse@michigan.gov Hello, I am just checking to see if other counties had a drastic cut to their penal fines this year? Our County just paid out and it was HALF what all of us had budgeted for the year, based on the past 10+ years. Was there a diversion of funds from Penal Fines that I didn’t catch or is my county just not issuing enough fines? 😊 Thanks!
So , just so I understand, the courts did not send any penal fines to the county treasurer? That sounds pretty suspicious to me – I’ll send Joe a note and we’ll confirm this. There are sometimes some misunderstandings about what is a penal fine – either Joe or I will get back to you. Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov<mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan<https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners. [cid:image001.png@01DC06D0.EE69D630] Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer! Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp<http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup>. [Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated]<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>. From: WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org> Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:48 PM To: Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov>; michlib-l@mcls.org Cc: Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> Subject: RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to abuse@michigan.gov<mailto:abuse@michigan.gov> Thank you! I am good friends with our deputy treasurer for the county and my text to her was “Do we no longer arrest people in this county?? What happened to my penal fines?!” They simply didn’t collect them so there isn’t anything to disperse. I was kind of hoping that it was actually a diversion so I had someone somewhere to blame other than the judge who might try one of my cases someday. 😊 From: Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov<mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov>> Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:33 PM To: WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org<mailto:amy@whitecloudlibrary.org>>; michlib-l@mcls.org<mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org> Cc: Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov<mailto:HamlinJ2@michigan.gov>> Subject: RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut Hello Amy: Joe Hamlin, who manages the penal fine program for LM, is on vacation until the end of this week. I can tell you, however, that all of the information we receive from the County Treasurers regarding the amount of penal fines they distributed has not yet been fully received and analyzed. Penal fines can be affected by many factors including caseload, changes in the laws, local police enforcement, etc. Penal fines vary so drastically from county to county, the amounts other libraries received may not be of much help to you in why yours were less. It is unlikely a diversion (which actually rarely happens) but if you e-mail Joe at hamlinJ2@michigan.gov<mailto:hamlinJ2@michigan.gov> and let him know how much you received and your concerns, he can assist you. In addition, you should contact your county treasurer because they are the best source to explain how they arrived at the amount of money you received. I “cc’d” Joe on this e-mail and he will see it when he returns. I hope this helps! Sincerely, Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov<mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan<https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners. [cid:image001.png@01DC06D0.EE69D630] Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer! Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp<http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup>. [Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated]<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>. From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org<mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org>> On Behalf Of WCCL Amy Stockwell via Michlib-l Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:20 PM To: michlib-l@mcls.org<mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to abuse@michigan.gov<mailto:abuse@michigan.gov> Hello, I am just checking to see if other counties had a drastic cut to their penal fines this year? Our County just paid out and it was HALF what all of us had budgeted for the year, based on the past 10+ years. Was there a diversion of funds from Penal Fines that I didn’t catch or is my county just not issuing enough fines? 😊 Thanks! [Amy.org Signature]
Sorry. I was overly vague in my response. They did collect penal fines, but it was about half as the previous years. For the county it was around $68,000 and last year it was $131,000. The county dispersed what they had, but said that they can’t disperse what isn’t collected by the courts. So I have to assume that our officers are being rather lenient with tickets. Maybe I should start speeding! 😊 From: Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov> Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:52 PM To: WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org>; michlib-l@mcls.org Cc: Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> Subject: RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut So , just so I understand, the courts did not send any penal fines to the county treasurer? That sounds pretty suspicious to me – I’ll send Joe a note and we’ll confirm this. There are sometimes some misunderstandings about what is a penal fine – either Joe or I will get back to you. Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov <mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). Michigan’s <https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> Top 10 Strategic Education Plan provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners. Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer! Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! <http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup> Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp. <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Michigan.gov/Vote. From: WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org <mailto:amy@whitecloudlibrary.org> > Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:48 PM To: Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov <mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> >; michlib-l@mcls.org <mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org> Cc: Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov <mailto:HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> > Subject: RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to <mailto:abuse@michigan.gov> abuse@michigan.gov Thank you! I am good friends with our deputy treasurer for the county and my text to her was “Do we no longer arrest people in this county?? What happened to my penal fines?!” They simply didn’t collect them so there isn’t anything to disperse. I was kind of hoping that it was actually a diversion so I had someone somewhere to blame other than the judge who might try one of my cases someday. 😊 From: Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov <mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> > Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:33 PM To: WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org <mailto:amy@whitecloudlibrary.org> >; michlib-l@mcls.org <mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org> Cc: Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov <mailto:HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> > Subject: RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut Hello Amy: Joe Hamlin, who manages the penal fine program for LM, is on vacation until the end of this week. I can tell you, however, that all of the information we receive from the County Treasurers regarding the amount of penal fines they distributed has not yet been fully received and analyzed. Penal fines can be affected by many factors including caseload, changes in the laws, local police enforcement, etc. Penal fines vary so drastically from county to county, the amounts other libraries received may not be of much help to you in why yours were less. It is unlikely a diversion (which actually rarely happens) but if you e-mail Joe at hamlinJ2@michigan.gov <mailto:hamlinJ2@michigan.gov> and let him know how much you received and your concerns, he can assist you. In addition, you should contact your county treasurer because they are the best source to explain how they arrived at the amount of money you received. I “cc’d” Joe on this e-mail and he will see it when he returns. I hope this helps! Sincerely, Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov <mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). Michigan’s <https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> Top 10 Strategic Education Plan provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners. Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer! Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! <http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup> Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp. <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Michigan.gov/Vote. From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org <mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> > On Behalf Of WCCL Amy Stockwell via Michlib-l Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:20 PM To: michlib-l@mcls.org <mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to <mailto:abuse@michigan.gov> abuse@michigan.gov Hello, I am just checking to see if other counties had a drastic cut to their penal fines this year? Our County just paid out and it was HALF what all of us had budgeted for the year, based on the past 10+ years. Was there a diversion of funds from Penal Fines that I didn’t catch or is my county just not issuing enough fines? 😊 Thanks!
Last year our penal fines were down by $4000.00 this year it was only down by $1000.00. It is not easy to budget when it is up and down. On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 2:26 PM WCCL Amy Stockwell via Michlib-l < michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:
Sorry. I was overly vague in my response. They did collect penal fines, but it was about half as the previous years. For the county it was around $68,000 and last year it was $131,000. The county dispersed what they had, but said that they can’t disperse what isn’t collected by the courts.
So I have to assume that our officers are being rather lenient with tickets. Maybe I should start speeding! 😊
*From:* Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:52 PM *To:* WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org>; michlib-l@mcls.org *Cc:* Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> *Subject:* RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut
So , just so I understand, the courts did not send any penal fines to the county treasurer?
That sounds pretty suspicious to me – I’ll send Joe a note and we’ll confirm this.
There are sometimes some misunderstandings about what is a penal fine – either Joe or I will get back to you.
Clare
Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D.
Library Law Consultant
Library of Michigan
MembielaC@michigan.gov
517-335-8132
*The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.*
*“the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge**.”* *Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965).*
Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan <https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners.
Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer!
Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp <http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup>.
[image: Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated] <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>
Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>.
*From:* WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:48 PM *To:* Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov>; michlib-l@mcls.org *Cc:* Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> *Subject:* RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut
*CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to abuse@michigan.gov <abuse@michigan.gov>*
Thank you!
I am good friends with our deputy treasurer for the county and my text to her was “Do we no longer arrest people in this county?? What happened to my penal fines?!” They simply didn’t collect them so there isn’t anything to disperse. I was kind of hoping that it was actually a diversion so I had someone somewhere to blame other than the judge who might try one of my cases someday. 😊
*From:* Membiela, Clare (MDE) <MembielaC@michigan.gov> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:33 PM *To:* WCCL Amy Stockwell <amy@whitecloudlibrary.org>; michlib-l@mcls.org *Cc:* Hamlin, Joseph (MDE) <HamlinJ2@michigan.gov> *Subject:* RE: [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut
Hello Amy:
Joe Hamlin, who manages the penal fine program for LM, is on vacation until the end of this week. I can tell you, however, that all of the information we receive from the County Treasurers regarding the amount of penal fines they distributed has not yet been fully received and analyzed.
Penal fines can be affected by many factors including caseload, changes in the laws, local police enforcement, etc. Penal fines vary so drastically from county to county, the amounts other libraries received may not be of much help to you in why yours were less.
It is unlikely a diversion (which actually rarely happens) but if you e-mail Joe at hamlinJ2@michigan.gov and let him know how much you received and your concerns, he can assist you.
In addition, you should contact your county treasurer because they are the best source to explain how they arrived at the amount of money you received.
I “cc’d” Joe on this e-mail and he will see it when he returns.
I hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Clare
Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D.
Library Law Consultant
Library of Michigan
MembielaC@michigan.gov
517-335-8132
*The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.*
*“the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge**.”* *Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965).*
Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan <https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigan-top-10-strategic-education-plan> provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners.
Nourishing Michigan’s Future during the summer!
Find a Summer Food Service Program site nearest you and encourage Michigan’s children to Meet Up and Eat Up! Michigan.gov/MeetUpEatUp <http://www.michigan.gov/meetupeatup>.
[image: Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated] <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>
Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote <https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>.
*From:* Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> *On Behalf Of *WCCL Amy Stockwell via Michlib-l *Sent:* Wednesday, August 6, 2025 12:20 PM *To:* michlib-l@mcls.org *Subject:* [Michlib-l] Penal Fines drastic cut
*CAUTION: This is an External email. Please send suspicious emails to abuse@michigan.gov <abuse@michigan.gov>*
Hello,
I am just checking to see if other counties had a drastic cut to their penal fines this year? Our County just paid out and it was HALF what all of us had budgeted for the year, based on the past 10+ years.
Was there a diversion of funds from Penal Fines that I didn’t catch or is my county just not issuing enough fines? 😊
Thanks!
[image: Amy.org Signature]
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participants (3)
-
Membiela, Clare (MDE) -
WCCL Amy Stockwell -
Wolverine Community Library