WEST OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — In January, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, most of them newly-sworn in and backed by the conservative political action group Ottawa Impact, ousted the county administrator and replaced him with John Gibbs, a former GOP congressional candidate.
The decision sparked controversy because the motion to hire Gibbs in the place of John Shay, the former county administrator who had been working in the job for 6 months, came with no notice and was not published on the agenda.
Since then, some Ottawa County residents have supported the board's hiring of Gibbs, while others have questioned the decision, pointing to a lack of transparency. On Wednesday, FOX 17 obtained more details about Gibb’s contract.
The release comes one day after Gibbs successfully petitioned the county board for an upgraded assistant, elevating a vacant executive assistant role to “senior executive aid to the administrator,” which comes with a $37,000 annual increase in pay.
TERM AND SALARY
According to the contract, Gibbs has accepted a three-year term as county administrator, with the opportunity to negotiate a renewal at the end of that time period.
He will receive a yearly salary of $210,000, the same salary offered to his predecessor, John Shay.
Gibbs is also eligible for "performance pay" based on annual reviews, as well as cost-of-living expenses over his three-year term.
READ: Ottawa County board’s swift changes costing taxpayers big bucks
If released from employment during his three-year term, the contract allows Gibbs to receive a lump sum severance payment of nine months of his regular salary, which would total $157,000, in addition to nine months of health insurance coverage.
He will not be granted any severance pay, the contract states, if he is terminated by Ottawa County commissioners “for cause in connection with the performance of his duties.”
In contrast, when the Ottawa County Board fired John Shay in January, Shay was granted a lump sum of his whole yearly salary of $210,000, with a year of health benefits included, according to his contract.
Additionally, Gibbs will get $833.33 per month for a motor vehicle allowance, which the contract says may be used to compensate the county administrator “for the costs of leasing or owning and operating a motor vehicle for his use during the term of his agreement.”
Gibbs' contract gives him five weeks of vacation each year.
RESPONSIBILITIES
As county administrator, Gibbs’ contract says he is responsible for “the day-to-day administration” of the county. It also says he will oversee the operations and performance of county departments, except those headed by elected officials.
He is in charge of fiscal services for Ottawa County, including activities in accounting, budgeting, payroll and receivables and accounts payable.
The contract says Gibbs is charged with developing a continuing strategic plan for the county, which should be placed before the Board of Commissioners for approval.
At the last board meeting, Gibbs received backlash from some commissioners, and support from others, when he asked the commissioners to reclassify the executive assistant role as a “senior executive aid to the administrator,” along with a $37,000 raise. The salary for the position now exceeds $82,000, which will cost the county $132,000.
READ: Ottawa commissioners vote to expand executive assistant role
The board ultimately voted to approve the expanded role. Some commissioners, however, questioned whether the upgrade was necessary, since it wasn’t needed in the past.
“I think you accepted this job for the pay,” commissioner Jacob Bonnema, who voted against the proposal in Tuesday’s board meeting, said to Gibbs. “I don’t think this burden should be on the backs of the taxpayers, so I ask you to do the job that you accepted to do.”
Gibbs said he plans to more hands-on. “I am doing that and this is going to help me do that even better.”
To read the full contract, as released by Ottawa County, see the attached document below.
John Gibbs Ottawa Co. Contract by WXMI on Scribd
