Leelanau Commissioner Update January 2025
Happy belated New Year!
It’s looking like a rewarding one for me, thanks to you. I have enjoyed the challenges of my first year in public life on the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, feel that I’m getting my feet planted in county government protocol, and, most importantly, my family still puts up with me. That’s somewhat of a miracle!
This edition includes overviews of our anticipated effort to prioritize goals—for which your thoughts will be greatly appreciated—as well as the controversial suspension of the county finance director, an update on where the issue of rising health care costs is settling, and a pair of divided votes that did not fall along political lines.
I feel drawn to write and email the Update because I hear from residents across the county that it contains news and information unavailable from other sources. If you know someone who may be interested in receiving this publication, please forward this email so they can subscribe. I will not share email addresses—my days of making a living by publishing have long passed—and it’s simple to unsubscribe.
This and previous emails and reports are available at leelanaucommissioner.com. Please note a new item has been placed under “Reports” that incapsulates the first meeting of an ad hoc committee studying how to expand and rewrite Leelanau County policies governing conflicts of interest and ethics.
Thank you, friends, neighbors, and constituents, for opening the Leelanau Commissioner Update. It’s a monthly newsletter I write independently of my fellow county commissioners. My goal is to make the work of county commissioners and county government as transparent as possible.
Please take the time to provide feedback, or give me a jingle at 231-492-4972.
I enjoy our conversations.
Thank you,
Alan Campbell
Leelanau County Commissioner
Balancing Our Budget With Health Care Costs
January 16th, 2025
Residents throughout Leelanau County are wrestling with health care costs—as is your county government. During my lifetime, the subject has gone from an afterthought to an important decision affecting the lives of everyone.
It wasn’t always so.
While a teen, I headed south with friends during a break between the end of classes and the start of summer jobs. Our car’s life expectancy was as empty as its gas tank when we started. But the trip was an adventure, and we were fearless—at least in our minds.
I made the unfortunate mistake of stepping barefoot on a chunk of broken glass. The bloody mess caused quite a stir within our community of travelers. The collective verdict: medical treatment was a necessity.
But we had very little cash. As in, it would come down to paying the doctor or hitchhiking home.
One of my buddies had a Blue Cross card and looked sort of like me—close enough. In my first and last act of impersonating someone else, it all worked out.
That was very bad judgment, and I’m embarrassed. At the time, none of us thought twice about it. Health care was relatively cheap and available. I grew up in a village comprised mostly of GM assembly line workers. A doctor lived across the street who would have patched me up for nothing.
Which brings us to today.
The health care industry is massive, representing 18 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. It’s the largest U.S. employer. And we’re all getting older, which has led to health care costs growing at roughly twice the rate of inflation.
Steep increases in health care threatened to drown the county budget—and still may.
About two decades ago, a forward-thinking Board of Commissioners initiated a “self-insured” health care plan for employees that has kept price increases much lower than national averages. Without having to counteract cost increases with a steady diet of benefit reductions, the county provides what has been described as a “Cadillac” health care plan—within 5 percent or so of the cheapest and best health coverages available to employees anywhere, we’ve been told.
Through 2025, employees of Leelanau County had no payroll deductions, paid low fees for doctor visits, and had deductibles of $100 or $200.
Some of that will change.
After listening to presentations from two insurance providers, the County Board opted to recommend changes to the policy. The major change is an increase in deductibles to $500 and $1,000.
Still, the estimated cost for health care is expected to balloon from a little less than $2 million to between $2.6 million and $2.8 million. Even the lower amount represents 14.4 percent of the county’s $18 million budget.
I know Administrator James Dyer and others in the county building worked long and hard to find a policy that bends but doesn’t break the pocketbooks of employer or employees.
A survey of county employees, with comments, showed the importance of having quality and affordable health care. Some said they might quit if changes were made.
I hope not. The preference of all commissioners was to avoid adding to the burden of their household budgets.
Finance Director Suspension: One Conversation, Two Stories
January 16th, 2025
Drama. I like it in movies, but I think we all have grown tired of drama in county government.
I don’t mean to downplay or misrepresent the placing of the county finance director on paid administrative leave. But it does seem that when talking with constituents—the folks who carry absolute judgment over the actions of Leelanau County government—drama is the one-word description of the suspension that I often hear.
There’s been plenty of it since a previous County Board created the finance department. I believe there have been seven changes in who heads the department over the three years of its existence.
The finance director is essential for the operation of our government. She works under the direction of the county administrator, but that hasn’t always been the case. At one time, the director reported directly to the County Board of Commissioners.
I’m putting the final edit on this report on Friday morning, Jan. 16, so things could change even as you’re reading. My nature is to be as open as possible with information pertaining to county government, whether considered positive or negative.
Rather than offering my opinion on what can accurately be described as a “he said, she said” conflict, I’m including portions of the two public documents I have pertaining to the decision to suspend the finance director with pay. I am including relevant portions of two documents that help explain what our finance director is accused of doing wrong, and her verbal response to the allegation.
The suspension could be over today—or last for weeks.
Background
The finance department dates back to 2022, when a divided County Board removed finance responsibilities—including payroll and receivables—from the County Clerk’s office. The motion called for the creation of a finance department and the hiring of a director to run the department.
The director is supervised by the county administrator. It was Administrator James Dyer who placed Cathy Hartesvelt, who previously worked in the county clerk’s office and served for many years as Suttons Bay Township treasurer, on indefinite paid leave. Her keys were taken, access to her computer was blocked, and she was escorted from the county building. I’m told that’s standard procedure.
From what I can tell, the process did not violate county policy for non-union personnel. As to the question of whether the suspension was deserved, I’ll let you decide.
The suspension comes at a difficult time, as the finance department is designed and budgeted to have four employees and is presently down to one. The assistant director resigned through a scathing letter directed at the administrator.
The Treasurer’s office and finance department will need to work closely to stave off a possible cash-flow crunch because an increase in the “stop-loss” self-insurance level from $20,000 per individual to $50,000 will require more funding earlier in the fiscal year before property taxes are due.
That’s the background—and as far as my comments should go, at least for now.
Documents and Statements
However, I can provide constituents with information from the two public documents mentioned earlier.
One was the official notice provided to the finance director, who was allowed to have one person present when she was suspended during a late afternoon meeting held Friday, Jan. 16, before the administrator and human resources director. She chose Commissioner Will Bunek to attend the meeting.
Mr. Bunek wrote his observations and emailed them to all commissioners for informational purposes. That makes the content a public document. He also received a copy of the official complaint, which I requested. I called Ms. Hartesvelt and asked for permission to include portions of the complaint in this newsletter. She readily agreed and continues to maintain that she did nothing wrong.
Notes From Meeting - Containing Response From Finance Director
(Contents of email sent by Will Bunek, who was asked by Ms. Hartesvelt to witness the suspension meeting. Email was sent to all commissioners and Administrator Dyer on Jan. 12, 2025.)
“Commissioners,
All of you have received an email from our administrator last evening regarding Mr. Dyer’s decision to place the finance director on paid administrative leave.
I was asked by the finance director to attend a meeting with her, the administrator, and the HR director on Friday afternoon, January 9. My understanding of the circumstances that led to this meeting was that the finance director had a conversation with the treasurer concerning health insurance in a hallway.
This conversation, according to John Gallagher (who was not present at this meeting nor had his complaint in writing), was believed to be an attempt by Ms. Hartesvelt to undermine the administrator’s desires for health insurance.
The finance director stated she did talk with the treasurer about her concerns regarding how the insurance premiums would be funded until taxes come in July, and did not in any way try to undermine Mr. Dyer.
Mr. Dyer has taken Ms. Hartesvelt’s county ID and computer and had her escorted from the county building.
Mr. Gallagher has texted me to state that it is not my place to get involved in this matter and that ‘it is simply unacceptable for a board member to mess with management.’ Mr. Dyer is our employee, and I believe I have every right to attend a meeting with him that I am invited into.
Please do not answer this email. We can discuss it at our next meeting, as Mr. Dyer has indicated in his email.”
Relevant Portions of Notice - Written on County Letterhead
Subject: Content Under Review
“The county has received information indicating that on or about Jan. 6, 2026, you met with the County Treasurer for the purpose of inducing or encouraging opposition to the changes in the county’s Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance program, including a proposed change in the $20,000 stop/loss attachment point.
It is further alleged that this activity occurred after direction had been given and a decision made by the County Administrator regarding this matter, and that such action was outside the scope of your assigned authority.”
Relevant Policy Considerations
“If substantiated, the conduct described above would be inconsistent with (non-union employee) Policy No. 1.07, Rules of Conduct, including but not limited to:
Section 11(L): Refusal to obey or willful failure to carry out instructions of supervisory personnel
Section 11(M)17: Disrespect or insubordination to a supervisor
Section 11(M)12: Conduct disruptive to the work of other employees
Section 11(O): Improper use of county position or authority inconsistent with county policy”
Potential Action
Consistent with County Policy No. 1.07 and the county’s at-will employment structure, disciplinary action up to termination of employment may be imposed if the county determines such action is warranted.
Goals So Far A Dud.
We’ll Do Better
January 16th, 2025
Some days I wonder why you folks put up with us.
During reports given this week to the township boards of Centerville and Leland, I included the results of an agenda item from the County Board’s organizational meeting held Jan. 6.
The agenda item was “Goals.” The results were pathetic.
This was on me more than my fellow commissioners. Whether from a lack of forethought or a general dislike for dealing with the subject right after the holidays, I fell flat.
I read the list of suggestions offered by all commissioners in our agenda packet for our Jan. 13 executive committee meeting. Chair Steve Yoder had them placed in no particular order under the heading “2026 Goals.”
To further my embarrassment, I’ll cut and paste:
Budget – potential cuts
Budget – projections
Budget – procedure and schedule
Communication amongst commissioners
Fiber/Internet service – unserved citizens
Fully staffed finance department
Government center facelift/upgrade
Grant writer
Human resources – resolution from 2022 (transfer records, controls, passwords)
Jail – examine costs / form a committee
Pole barn – discuss build for storage
Policy reviews – follow policies and conduct review
Role of county in housing
Software upgrades
Wage/salary study
Ugh. That goes for most of them.
Build a pole barn? That may be important, but how does it improve the lives of constituents? Budget and build.
Communication amongst commissioners? This needed to be cleaned up. Part of the responsibility of informing commissioners about the goings-on of county government falls within the purview of emails usually sent by the county administrator to all commissioners. Or, if a commissioner has information to share, the proper venue is to email all commissioners at once. No online conversations should follow.
So yes, more and better communication is needed—but guardrails are required. The state Open Meetings Act (OMA) requires that most back-and-forth communication among commissioners be conducted at public meetings.
I brought up the “government center facelift/upgrade” concept at a township board meeting. It was met with an obvious thud. Worse, it was one of my suggestions. The County Government Center building is less than 15 years old. It shouldn’t take much to slap on a coat of paint and shine up the rails, so maybe placing it among our top goals was a bit of… overreach.
I suggested placing “Goals” on the organizational meeting agenda, but I didn’t explain myself. My thought was to outline a process for establishing our priorities.
Luckily, Board Chair Steve Yoder was thinking along the same lines, but with a better idea. He has been investigating procedures used in other counties to bring out and openly discuss priorities that would result in a strategic plan for the County Board.
At our executive committee meeting last week, Commissioner Rick Robbins provided handouts of a somewhat related process used by the City of Traverse City on Jan. 10 called Commission & Executive Team Retreat. The goal there seemed more along the lines of team building than goal setting, but the information provided was useful.
I see the need to meet in a less formal setting to discuss both where we need to go (for some constituents, please don’t answer that question) and how we’ll get there.
My recommendations were to ditch the term “retreat,” hold the meeting in the county building, and post the gathering as required by the OMA.
We actually discussed the need for such a meeting back in August when setting goals for our administrator. Then an energy-zapping budget process got underway, so it’s been on our radar for a while.
Now that I’ve had time to contemplate, what would be my top three goals for county government? It’s tough narrowing them down, but I would say:
Reinvent the budget process to invite more public input, while posting more budgetary and financial information to keep citizens informed of the county’s fiscal status.
Given the tight 2026 budget, which included higher wages and increased employee benefit expenses, search for ways to balance revenue with payables to keep property taxes as low as possible.
Review, change or follow, and clearly communicate county policies already in place. At the top of my list is rewriting conflict-of-interest and ethics policies and extending their reach to all board members, county officers, and employees. An ad hoc committee has been formed and has met once. Additionally, the county has a policy governing public funds granted to nonprofit organizations that has been completely ignored.
In the meantime, I’d like to hear about your priorities for the future of county government.
Please email your thoughts through the comment section of this newsletter, or call me at 231-492-4972. I welcome a conversation.
Tidbits of What’s Happening in the County
January 16th, 2025
• About Public Comment at Meetings
I’m happy to report that my three fellow Democrats joined me in relaxing the subject matter allowed at the first round of public comment at County Board meetings.
Actually, only part of that statement is true. But the most important part is true.
I first brought up the idea of allowing up to one minute of public comment on any issue pertaining to Leelanau County a little over a year ago, at our first organizational meeting. That’s the meeting designated for commissioners to set their governing structure for the coming year.
For the past several years, up to three minutes of public comment has been allowed early in the agenda of executive committee and regular meetings. However, the subject of comment was limited specifically to items on that meeting’s agenda.
It’s frustrating—I know firsthand—to wait through a four-hour or even longer meeting for an opportunity to speak directly to your County Board of Commissioners.
Perhaps you wanted to bring forward an item that needs immediate attention and should become part of the agenda. That was not previously allowed.
I came prepared to bring up the topic with a resolution I had prepared, but my colleague Gwenne Alguire beat me to it. I was delighted.
I don’t believe commissioners who eventually voted against the resolution opposed giving the public an opportunity to speak. Perhaps they recalled past meetings when a dozen or so people would consume five minutes each on topics of a regional or national nature, such as Line 5 or abortion rights. Meetings began at 9 a.m., but agenda items weren’t even discussed until an hour or more later. So restrictions were placed on public comment at the start of meetings.
I wonder if allowing one minute of public comment on non-agenda items won’t actually shorten meetings. Those speaking must decide whether to speak for one or three minutes, so depending on their priority, some will speak less. And after addressing the board on a generalized topic for up to one minute, they may choose not to hang around until the end of the meeting, when up to five minutes would be allowed.
I was joined by three Democrats in approving the change on a 4–3 vote. And no, I do not belong to the Democratic Party. I’m a conservative by nature.
Then again, most items that come before the board are not political. They shouldn’t be at this level of governance.
FYI, Leland Township had already adopted such a policy. Kudos.
• About Speaking About Speaking
Another agenda item did not follow a party-line vote, this time at our executive committee meeting held Jan. 13.
The agenda item was authored by Commissioner Ty Wessel and entitled “Authorize Administrator Dyer to Respond to Public Comments Regarding Peninsula Housing.”
The topic relates to questions posed to the County Board by county Republican Party chair Jim White over the sale of more than eight acres of land by Suttons Bay Public Schools. The sale was made at the request of the nonprofit group Leelanau Peninsula Housing, which is seeking funds, land, and permission to build low-cost and government-subsidized affordable housing.
Commissioner Wessel reached out to Mr. White after hearing the questions during public comment. He attempted to set up a meeting between the two. Mr. White wanted such a meeting to be open to the public. I don’t know what has occurred between them recently.
I opposed the motion because I thought it provided special disposition to one organization over the many nonprofits that have served the county admirably. No explanation of how such an allocation of authority might work was provided in our meeting packet.
For my part, I feel that both Commissioner Wessel and Peninsula Housing chair Larry Mawby have admirable speaking skills and should be able to explain the organization’s actions without the County Board endorsing Administrator Jim Dyer as spokesperson.
Commissioners Wessel and Alguire voted for the motion. Dissenting were Commissioner Rick Robbins, a Democrat, and Republicans Steve Yoder, Mark Walters, and myself.
Again, most work of the County Board is not political in nature.
• About Residents Stepping Up
The County Board recently filled most openings for positions on a range of governmental bodies—from those commonly known, such as the county Planning Commission, to lesser-known boards such as the appeals boards for the Benzie-Leelanau Health Department and the Soil Conservation District.
We had no applications last month for those two boards and one more.
So Lauren Cypher, county administrative assistant, went to work—advertising again for applicants while personally spreading the word.
Of course, she came up with more candidates. Credit goes to her, but the major factor just might be that Leelanau is filled with people who care.
Seriously. I witnessed a Leland Township Board meeting last week on a frigid night attended by more than 60 people. Imagine that. The only lights on in town must have been at the Munnecke Room.
That’s what makes it rewarding to be a county commissioner: people who care.
Of course, we don’t always agree. That won’t happen on this side of heaven.
But caring for this place and one another is happening every day. We share a special place.
Please comment, attend
Please plan to attend one or more of the upcoming budget work sessions or our regularly scheduled meetings. And consider contacting me through the leelanaucommissioner.com website or by calling my cell at 231 492 4972.
Content published on the Leelanau Commissioner Newsletter will become part of Leelanau Commissioner Alan Campbell website. Please visit at leelanaucommissioner.com.
