Compensation group votes to increase county board pay by over 65%, doles out $265K in raises

OTTAWA COUNTY — The elected officers of Ottawa County are poised to receive significant raises after the Officers' Compensation Commission voted to increase their compensation in 2027 and 2028 — including a more than 65% increase for county commissioner roles.

The increases to all the elected countywide positions total more than $265,000 over the next two years.

The determinations come after an ill-fated attempt in 2024 to raise county commissioners' salaries by 60% that was quickly scrapped after widespread media coverage and community criticism.

The commission is a citizen-appointed board, where participants serve three-year terms. Formed in late 2005 in Ottawa County, the commission is charged with making determinations for the pay of county elected officials in even-numbered years that go into effect the following odd-numbered years.

State statute requires that the compensation commission must complete its work within 45 days of its first session and may not meet for more than 15 "session" days; all meetings and actions by the commission also must be in compliance with Michigan’s Open Meetings Act. 

This year, three of the four compensation commissioners appointed in late 2023 by the Ottawa Impact majority on the county board — all of whom either have politically or financially supported the far-right political group — pushed for even larger raises for county commissioners, the vice chair and the chair positions.

"I think they've been woefully underpaid in the past," said Compensation Vice Chair Lynn Janson, an OI supporter. "I think we need to have these be competitive positions. We need the best and brightest in the county being able to fill these roles, and when it's a less-than-minimum-wage job, in many cases, only people who are independently wealthy are able to run for those seats. This will still be dynamically lower than any of the county employees are making."

Janson initially made a motion for the group to approve raises that would top out in 2028 to be $45,000 for county commissioners, $47 for the vice chair and $50,000.

Chair Amanda Price, a former township and county treasurer and state representative, said she didn't view any of her elected roles as jobs, but more as a duty to her community.

"Having been an elected official at the local level, I didn't look at it as a job; it was a duty or a privilege, so the wage didn't make that much of a difference, because I was elected to serve the citizens of my township, or my county, or the state Legislature. I still view the county board personally as a part-time role," Price said.

The group debated the issue for about 40 minutes, going back and forth about the merits of large pay increases for the county board.

"I don't disagree with the amounts. I think that those positions are deserving of it. I think that they do work really hard, but looking at the comparables, it is significantly higher than any other county," said Commissioner Angela Loreth, also an OI supporter.

She pointed to Kent County, where that compensation commission recently increased commissioner pay to $32,000 starting in 2027.

"If we do $40,000 or $45,000 for commissioners, we're looking to pay our commissioners $8,000-$15,000 more than Kent County. I just think that's something to consider," Loreth said.

There were also concerns over media coverage after the 2024 process made headlines over several months.

"Such a large percentage is going to draw some interest," said Deputy Administrator Brian Dissette. "It is a certainty that it will draw media coverage, so there is that chance that the board [of commissioners] could feel pressured to say: 'Thank you, but no, thank you.'"

"And how likely are they to approve such a significant jump in their own pay?" Loreth speculated.

Janson noted that the county board could "just be silent on it," referring to an option the county board has to not take up the determinations publicly for consideration, in which case, they would go into effect in January.

Mark Brouwer, another 2023 OI appointee, suggested that the commission break the pay hikes between 2027 and 2028.

"We phase it in [over] two years. That way, it's not a huge increase."

Janson's original motion failed, but the compensation commissioners were then able to agree in a 7-0 vote to increase county commissioner pay from $20,884 to $30,000 in 2027, plus an annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. The commissioners will then receive a $5,000 raise to their base pay in 2028, plus another COLA.

The raises for commissioners will top out at an estimated $15,926.19 (assuming a 2.75% COLA for 2027 and 2028), totaling $143,335.71 for the nine commissioner positions: an increase of 68% over their 2026 pay.

The compensation commission also determined to increase the county board vice chair position to $35,000 in 2027, plus COLA, then a $5,000 raise in 2028, plus COLA. They determined to increase the chair position to $40,000 in 2027, plus COLA, then a $5,000 in 2028.

The raises for vice chair and chair positions will top out at an estimated $20,553.69 (assuming a 2.75% COLA for 2027 and 2028) and $20,240.75, respectively, totaling $40,794.44: an 86% increase for the vice chair position and a 66% increase for the chair position.

The total increase for the county board compensation is estimated to be $184,130.15 by 2028.

Although the COLA rate has not yet been determined for 2027 — it typically is set in October based on federal government data and then must be approved by the county board as part of the annual budgeting process — Dissette told compensation commissioners that next year's rate is estimated to be between 2.75% and 3%.

Tensions still linger

The compensation commission also set pay increases for the county sheriff, prosecutor, clerk-register of deeds, treasurer and road commissioners.

The compensation of the water resources commissioner position, however, once again focused on the controversial revelation stemming from the work of the 2024 compensation commission.

After that work was deemed legally questionable, the county's insurance authority found an "internal fix" to pay Treasurer Cheryl Clark and Water Resources Commissioner Joe Bush for contracted work outside their countywide roles.

Administrator Patrick Waterman and Corporation Counsel Doug Van Essen have both said publicly that the insurance authority opted to enter into the side agreements with Bush and Clark, in part, to neutralize a legal liability if either county employee chose to sue over how the compensation commission's work was bungled in 2024.

“Part of the rationale in the desire to correct the monetary error was to avoid further potential litigation against the county by elected officials who felt they were wronged by county administration,” Waterman explained in an April 27 email to county commissioners.

Read More: Ottawa County officers explain their roles as compensation commission mulls over raises

After approving the treasurer role to receive a $2,000 raise in 2027 and again in 2028, plus COLA for both years, some compensation commissioners struggled on whether or not to approve the water resources commissioner position at the same rate or to ask for more.

"I would like to exactly mirror what we did for the treasurer," Janson said of the water resources commissioner role.

Brouwer said he would like to see the position increased to be more competitive with counties like Washtenaw.

He made a motion to pay the water resources position a total of $12,000 more over the two years, split into separate $6,000 raises, plus COLA increases this year.

Craig Dunlap, an OI appointee, said the contracted work through the insurance authority "strikes me funny," and said he wouldn't support any increases for Bush's role beyond what was determined for Clark.

"It doesn't feel right to me that there was 1099 income earned off a job that was granted to him by the county, not under his own [job]. And ... I didn't like his attitude," Dunlap said of Bush, who spoke during a public hearing during a May 4 meeting to explain his county role.

The commission appeared to deadlock in a 3-3 split on whether to increase the water resources role by $4,000 over the two years or $12,000, after Compensation Commission Nathan Slauer left the meeting before it ended.

Ultimately, Loreth, who originally sided with the commissioners in favor of the $4,000 raise switched her vote to the three commissioners in favor of the $12,000 increase.

"It just wasn't a hill I was willing to die on," Loreth said.

By the numbers

Here are the determinations made by the Ottawa County Officers' Compensation Commission at its May 4 meeting:

Sheriff

• Current compensation: $171,283
• Determination: $174,283 in 2027, plus COLA; $177,283 in 2028, plus COLA
• Increases: $3,000 to base pay (2027), plus $4,792.78 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment; $3,000 to base pay (2028), plus $4,875.28 (COLA)
• Total change for the next two years: Base pay increase: 3.5%; base pay increase plus COLA adjustments: $15,668.06

Prosecutor

• Current compensation: $194,472
• Determination: $197,472 in 2027, plus COLA; $200,472 in 2028, plus COLA
• Increases: $3,000 to base pay (2027), plus $5,430.48 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment; $3,000 to base pay (2028), plus $5,512.98 (COLA)
• Total change for the next two years: Base pay increase: 3.1%; base pay increase plus COLA adjustments: $16,943.46

Clerk-Register of Deeds

• Current compensation: $140,619
• Determination: $150,000 in 2027, plus COLA; COLA increase in 2028
• Increases: $9,381 to base pay (2027), plus $4,125 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment; $4,125 (COLA) in 2028
• Total change for the next two years: Base pay increase: 6.7%; base pay increase plus COLA adjustments: $17,631

Treasurer

• Current compensation: $137,915
• Determination: $139,915 in 2027, plus COLA; $141,915 in 2028, plus COLA in 2028
• Increases: $2,000 to base pay (2027), plus $3,847.66 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment; $2,000 to base pay (2027), plus $3,902.66 (COLA)
• Total change for the next two years: Base pay increase: 2.9%; base pay plus COLA adjustments: $11,750.32

Water Resources Commissioner

• Current compensation: $126,937
• Determination: $138,937 in 2027, plus COLA; no change in 2028
• Increases: $12,000 to base pay (2027), plus $3,820.77 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment
• Total change for the next two years: Base pay increase: 9.5%; base pay plus COLA adjustments: $15,820.77

Road Commissioners

• Current compensation: $12,500 (commissioner); $15,500 (chair)
• Determination: COLA increase in 2027 and 2028
• Increases: $343.75 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment) for commissioners (5 members) in 2027 and again in 2028; $353.20 for the chair in 2027 and again in 2028
• Total change for the next two years: $4,321.09

County Commissioners

• Current compensation: $20,884 (commissioner); $21,535 (vice chair); $27,127 (chair)
• Determination:
  • $30,000 for commissioners, plus $825 (assuming 2.75% COLA adjustment) in 2027, and an additional $5,000 (estimated at $35,825), plus $985.19 in 2028
  • $35,000 for the vice chair, plus $962.50 COLA (2027), and an additional $5,000 (estimated at $40,962.50), plus $1,126.49 COLA in 2028
  • $40,000 for the chair, plus $1,100 COLA (2027), and an additional $5,000 (estimated at $46,100), plus $1,267.75 COLA in 2028
• Increases:
  • Commissioners: Base pay plus COLA adjustments: $143,335.71
  • Vice chair: Base pay plus COLA adjustments: $20,553.69
  • Chair: Base pay plus COLA adjustments: $20,240.75
• Total change for the next two years: Base pay increase: 68% (commissioners), 86% (vice chair), 66% (chair); base pay increases plus COLA adjustments: $184,130.15

TOTAL INCREASE: $266,264.85

What happens next

The determinations will now be forwarded to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners for consideration.

County Administrator Patrick Waterman said at the board of commissioners' May 19 meeting that the determinations will appear on the next board of commissioners' meeting agenda, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 23.

In their consideration, the county commissioners have three options on how to respond:

• Reject the determinations of the compensation commission in whole or in part by a two-thirds majority. 
• Accept the determinations.
• Do nothing, in which case, the determinations by the compensation commission will go into effect the following year by default.

— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.