OTTAWA COUNTY — The Ottawa County Officers’ Compensation Commission made salary determinations on May 18 for elected officials in the county for the next two years, making the group’s work complete — until new questions arose about how the determinations incorporated cost-of-living adjustments for county commissioners.
The compensation commission met for a fourth time on June 3 to revisit how the COLA adjustments would be calculated after a county commissioner raised concerns about leaving the amount open-ended for the board of commissioners to determine later this year for 2027 and next year for 2028.
A short, yet long process
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 in 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…