Summary
The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners met February 10, 2026, in Executive Session under Chairman Steve Yoder, with all seven commissioners present. Major actions included accepting a $50,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for the Veronica Valley Trail, approving multiple Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management grant and contract items, and, after lengthy debate, passing (5-2) a Human Resources Resolution transferring HR, accounting and payroll duties to the County Administrator. A motion to remove an auditor-personnel clause from the county's audit contract failed 2-5.
Public Comments
Kate Gallup spoke under the 3-Minute Agenda Specific comment period earlier in the meeting; no details of her remarks were recorded. Later in the meeting, Jim White, Michelle L. Crocker, Steve Mikowski, Kate Gallup, and Bill Wiesner addressed the Board under general Public Comment; the minutes note written comments are available online but do not summarize their content. Commissioner Robbins remarked "should have taped it" after Crocker left the presentation table.
Parks and Recreation Matters
The Board voted 7-0 to accept a reimbursable MNRTF grant of $50,000 (fund #470.000.000.970.024) for the Veronica Valley Lower Pond Trail, authorizing Chairman Yoder to sign the award contract. The Board also voted 7-0 to enter an agreement with MCSA Group, Inc. for grant administration/project management of that trail, and 7-0 approved an MCSA Group proposal (not to exceed $8,500, fund #101.850.756.801.000) to prepare and submit a grant for a universally accessible playground at Myles Kimmerly County Park.
Infrastructure Projects
Administrator Dyer reported progress on the cooling tower replacement at the Government Center, having finalized the Spicer Group contract and met with their consultant; he expects recommended contract specifications by March or April for RFP issuance.
Other Business
The Board approved (7-0) the Sheriff's Office application for the 2026 Marine Safety Grant; hiring an Animal Control Deputy with an 11-week staffing overlap starting June 15, 2026 (7-0); a Law Enforcement Services Agreement with the National Park Service (7-0); out-of-state travel for Emergency Management staff to a July 20-22, 2026 conference (7-0); the ArcGIS Pro Migration Project with Motorola Solutions (7-0); an NPS general agreement for dispatch services (7-0, address correction requested); Senior Services out-of-state travel to Atlanta (6-1, Campbell opposed); a Senior Expo facility-use agreement with Suttons Bay Public Schools (7-0); a Senior Millage renewal (.320 mill, 4 years, 2026-2029) to move to March Executive Session (7-0); appointment of Kate Gallup to the SESSRC Board of Appeals (7-0); an MSU governance workshop agreement targeted for March 25, 2026 (7-0); and authorization to issue an RFP for strategic planning (7-0).
Financial Summary
Approved: $28,164.25 for a Leica Geosystems accident investigation total station, funded by Fall 2025 GTB 2% Grant funds. GTB 2% Winter Cycle awards accepted (7-0) totaling several allocations: $4,595 (HR training), $50,000 (Leelanau Christian Neighbors), $5,000 (mattress recycling), $3,127.66 (tire recycling), $2,000 (Sharecare needs assessment), and $28,164.25 (Sheriff's total station). Claims and Accounts of $97,658.87 and Post Audit Claims and Accounts of $3,239,876.61 were approved 7-0. A possible sound system upgrade was estimated to cost up to $50,000.
Action Items
The Human Resources Resolution, transferring HR/finance/payroll authority from the Clerk's office to the Administrator, passed 5-2 (Allgaier, Robbins, Walter, Wessell, Yoder in favor; Bunek, Campbell opposed) after Clerk Michelle Crocker disputed several factual claims in the resolution's drafting; Yoder directed Administrator Dyer to have legal counsel re-verify accuracy by the February 17 Regular Session. The motion to eliminate the audit-contract personnel-removal clause failed 2-5 (Campbell, Bunek in favor). Commissioner Campbell asked Dyer to prepare a thank-you letter to the Grand Traverse Band for signature at the February 17 meeting. Opioid settlement fund allocation process/RFP structure is to be developed for the March Executive Session, with Allgaier expressing interest in serving on a related committee. The Senior Produce Program was referred to the Senior Services Committee for recommendation before the March 10 Executive Session. Commissioner Campbell noted a recent payroll error affecting some employees, to be corrected in the next payroll cycle.