OTTAWA COUNTY — More details have been released about a severance agreement worth more than $40,000 between Ottawa County and its human resources director; however, a justification for the deal has not been made clear.
The agreement between the county and former HR director Scott Hawkes was approved by county commissioners at a June 23 meeting. The document and its details, however, were not disclosed in the public documents commissioners consider when voting during meetings, often referred to as the meeting’s “packet.”
The only information made public was that the agreement had a value of $40,082.32 and that the county and Hawkes “desire[ed] to enter into an agreement to memorialize their understanding pertaining to the end of the employee’s employment” and that, effective June 22, Hawkes would receive eight weeks of gross pay and health insurance through September in exchange for his voluntary resignation.
Agreement details
Ottawa News Network obtained the severance agreement on July 13 through a Freedom of Information Act request filed on June 19…