Ottawa County commissioners take pay raises off the agenda

OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Ottawa County commissioners will not vote on a raise for their positions today, deciding to take the proposal off the table.

In an updated agenda handed out before the formal starting of the meeting, the recommendation from the Ottawa County Officers Compensation Commission was taken off the schedule for the May 14 meeting.

The county’s Compensation Commission approved to pay their commissioners anywhere between $33,350-$43,400 and a $1,000 monthly stipend for “healthcare coverage.”

State law requires a 2/3 vote for the commissioners to reject an increase in their compensation. If the board voted to accept it or even table the suggestion, it would have gone into effect at the beginning of next year.

The agenda, which was posted online Friday after going through county administration, had the suggested raises up for a vote.

According to Board Chairman Joe Moss, he removed the resolution from the agenda because it was invalid. Moss claimed the chair of the Compensation Commission, Larry Jackson should have known the 3-1 vote of the commission to pass the pay raise for county commissioners did not meet a required 4-vote threshold under state law.

He cites MCL 45.474, which reads in part:

"The commission shall not take action or make a determination without a concurrence of a majority of the members appointed and serving on the commission."

Moss, a Republican and Ottawa Impact Founder, also claimed Jackson, the chair of the Democratic Party in Ottawa County, wanted to use the proposal to help the recall effort against Lucy Ebel.

"It should be noted that the news articles appear just days before the recall action against Commissioner Lucy Ebel," Moss said to the crowd in the chamber. "Larry Jackson has a vested interest in seeing Republicans lose elections. Additionally, Larry Jackson is the individual who filed the recall against Commissioner Lucy Ebel. Was it collusion between the Democratic Party and local media to influence the recall election? Was this election interference?"

Our past coverage:
60% pay raises likely for Ottawa County commissioners
Ottawa County Commissioners set to vote on 60% pay raise for themselves

Moss said the commissioners will not receive raises in 2025 or 2026.

FOX 17 reached out to Larry Jackson of the Compensation Commission for details on the communication they've had with the Board of Commissioners. We have not heard back.

Lynn Jansen, who was just appointed to the commission last year, said they have many conversations with commissioners.

Jansen claims Chairman Moss did not influence their recommendation on the pay raises for commissioners.

The Compensation Commission meets every two years to discuss raises for elected leaders. Vice Chairperson Sylvia Rhodea, Ottawa Impact Founder, was asked if she believes commissioners should be in full-time positions.

"I do believe that this board should be more than it has been in the past. And I do think that it's very appropriate for it to be about a 24 to sometimes a 40-hour week position," Rhodea said.

Each commissioner, with the exception of Commissioner Rebekah Curran and Roger Bergman, is currently up for re-election. This year's race is different from previous ones. The candidate who wins their seat will be elected for four years instead of the current two.

The Compensation Commission did approve pay raises for other elected leaders. In an April meeting, the four members unanimously approved to give positions like prosecutor, sheriff, and clerk an 8% raise in 2025 and a 6% raise in 2026.

Moss explains he hopes to see a valid resolution in two weeks to approve of those raises.

What commissioners said about the compensation proposal

Before Tuesday's meeting FOX 17 reached out to several commissioners on their thoughts about the salary increase.

Vice-Chairperson and Ottawa Impact Founder Sylvia Rhodea said on her blog, “Should Ottawa County pay its Board a living wage?”

Rhodea added that commissioners on her board often work “24-40+ hours a week.”

Commissioner Allison Miedema and fellow Ottawa Impact member claims she didn’t become a county commissioner for the money.

“The amount of money offered to county commissioners is a bit above the poverty rate. I have wondered at times if the rate offered to commissioners prevents individuals with a lower or single household income from being able to consider running for local office,” Miedema said in a Facebook post.

Commissioners Doug Zylstra and Jacob Bonnema shared on social media that they would oppose these potential increases.

“One of the easiest ‘NO’ votes of the year. District 4 will be voting against this abuse of our tax dollars,” Bonnema shared on Facebook.

Ottawa Impact connections to the Compensation Commission

In 2023 the Board of Commissioners filled four vacancies on the Compensation Commission.

Angela Loreth, Mark Brouwer, and Lynn Jansen are three new members who cast the votes to pass the pay raise proposal in a 3-1 decision.

County records show Loreth donated to Ottawa Impact candidates, including Vice Chair Sylvia Rhodea.

Meanwhile, records show Brouwer's family donated to Ottawa Impact PAC, while Jansen is an Ottawa County Republican Executive Committee Member.

"We have had hundreds of thousands of donors to our movement and what we're trying to do and promoting freedom and family in Ottawa County and constitutional governance," Moss explained.

Compensation Commission Chairman Larry Jackson, who voted no, explained his initial proposal was much lower.

“My suggestion was 6%, because it would be along the same lines as the county employees got this last year,” Jackson said in an interview with FOX 17.

Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube