About Us

Our mission is to provide and promote a process by which people in conflict come to their own resolution.

2010 Mediation Statistics:

Total core cases (cases that are mediated with or without agreement) for Marquette Alger Resolution Service increased by 10% in 2010. Core cases increased from 220 in 2009 to 241 in 2010.

In 2010, of the 241 cases mediated, 149 were mediated to agreement or partial agreement and 82 were mediated without agreement. 10 cases were facilitated.    

 

REFERRALS

Referrals from the Courts remained the same at 82% of total referrals from 2009 to 2010.  However, the number of referrals from community organizations increased by 122%.

Additional referrals were made by government agencies, legal organizations, educational institutions, schools, and self-referrals.

 

DISPUTE TYPES

The majority of cases handled by MARS is in the area of contracts. This category covers a wide area of issues and includes disputes with banks, consumers and merchants, payday loan establishments and other types of consumer disputes.  

 

DAYS FROM INTAKE TO DISPOSITION

The number of days from intake to disposition is calculated by counting the number of days from the time the referral is made to the day the mediation is held. The average number of days from intake to disposition for 2010 was 15.

 

COMPLIANCE FOLLOW-UP

Out of 30 cases randomly selected from 2010:

70% were upheld or partially upheld
13% no response
17% were not upheld

 

PERMANENCY PLANNING MEDIATION (PPM) PROGRAM

Marquetteand Alger Counties have provided PPM since 1999. The program is administered through MARS in cooperation with the Marquette County Probate Court, the Prosecutor’s office and the Department of Human Services. This program is designed to improve child welfare processes and outcomes using facilitated mediation in some child abuse and neglect matters that come before the court.  Although not every mediation session deals directly with the child’s placement, the name for this type of mediation reflects the ultimate goal of the program, which is to facilitate a process which can lead to a determination of a safe, permanent home for children in a timely manner. The case statistics for the PPM program for 2010 are as follows:

 

Number of Cases:                                                    14

Mediated to full or partial agreement:                   13

Number of Individuals Served:                                99

Number of Children Involved:                                 23

 

Number of Individuals Served in 2010

635 individuals were served in 2010

 

Number of Children involved in mediation cases

152 children were served as an indirect result of mediation in 2010 

 

FUNDING

Mars is funded in part by the State Court Administrative Office. The Community Dispute Resolution Program was established in 1988 by Public Act 260. MARS started providing mediation services in 1992. Since that time, MARS has received funding from the State based on core cases from the previous year. MARS is also funded through in-kind support from the Marquette County Probate Court as well as mediation fees from parties, donations, DHS, and Circuit Court funds. The MARS grant from the State in 2010 was $38,344.38. In addition, MARS received over $39,000 in local support.   

        

MEDIATOR TIME

26 MARS mediators volunteered for a total of over 476 hours in 2010. Based on a state assigned rate value of $150.00 per hour, this calculates to over $71,000 in in-kind time donated to the Center.

Statewide CDRP Annual Report

http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/reports/CDRPAnnualReport2010.pdf

 

MARS Board Members

• Honorable Michael Anderegg
  President
• Rick Sanville
  Vice President
• Cheryl Hill
  Treasurer
• Vicki Ballas
• William Ferns
• Nancy Beukema
• Jean Hetrick
• Polly Friend
• Jerry Maynard
• Robert Jensen

Jennifer L. V. Frazier
Executive Director

Karen S. Dubow
Case Manager
PPM Coordinator