WEST OLIVE, Mich. — The new Ottawa County Board's swift changes are going to cost county taxpayers big bucks.
"I've been completely blindsided by this," Ottawa County Commissioner Rebekah Curran said at Tuesday's meeting, after the board added several agenda items, including one firing the county administrator, John Shay, and making a surprise appointment.
"I motion to terminate the employment of the current County Administrator," County Vice Chair Sylvia Rhodea said. "And to appoint John Gibbs."
FOX17 dug into the details of the severance packaged given to John Gibb’s predecessor John Shay, who has spent only six months in the position.
Shay’s contract grants him 90 days of notice before his last day. Then, he is entitled to a lump sum of his yearly salary at $210,000, plus a year of health benefits.
FOX17 has requested to see John Gibbs' contract and will update you when that becomes available.
Another change resulting from Tuesday’s meeting is the elimination of the Ottawa County Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department.
Its director Robyn Afrik’s severance package is three months' pay, totaling more than $25,000. She will receive three months of health benefits too.
The Ottawa County Board intends to accept the resignation of legal counsel Doug Van Essen. The board's future plan is to fill that void with Kallman Legal Group.
"If we could add in Kallman Legal Group will be paid their standard hourly billing rate of $225 an hour," County Commissioner Roger Bergman said.
The motion to accept the pay that rate failed, but the board is still considering them for future legal matters.
"We need to appoint Kallman legal Group as corporate counsel and be very clear that they are our new corporate counsel," Rhodea said.
The Ottawa County Health Administrator Adeline Hambley is set to not get a severance package because she was not a contracted employee.
On Tuesday, the board also voted to update the county's slogan from "Where You Belong" to "Where Freedom Rings." The last time the county changed its slogan, in 2017, the cost totaled around $14,000.
That number did not include the cost of marketing material.
At this point, it's unclear how much another slogan change will cost.
