Top county official is expected to get 2.4 percent pay increase.

Leelanau County administrator David W. Gill has received passing grades from county commissioners and will likely receive a 2.4 percent pay raise next year.

A subcommittee of commissioners met with Gill on Tuesday afternoon to review an annual “performance appraisal” of the administrator.

District No. 2 commissioner Will Bunek, who serves on the subcommittee, noted that numerical “performance ratings” Gill received from commissioners were slightly lower than last year, but were still generally “above average.”

Now in his sixth year as county administrator, Gill earns a $73,780 annual salary that will increase to $75,550 next year. The 2.4 percent increase represents the same “cost of living” raise programmed for most other county employees in 2008.

District No. 4 commissioner Mary Tonneberger, who chairs the subcommittee, noted that the “average” score commissioners gave Gill in 10 job performance categories was 3.5 – between “consistently meets expectations” scored as a 3, and “well above average” scored as a 4. She noted, however, that Gill’s “median” score was a 4.

Gill’s highest rating category, a 4.1, was in “productivity.” His lowest score was a 2.9 in “problem solving/judgment.”

Bunek said he believed many of the lower marks Gill received this year could be attributed to the extra time Gill was required to spend working with the general contractor constructing the new county Government Center in Suttons Bay Township – as well as the amount of sick time Gill needed to take this year.

A “remarks” portion of the performance appraisal noted: “Some commissioners are concerned about recent lawsuits and completion of the Government Center in terms of our process, especially on not using RFPs (requests for proposals) for supplemental purchases. The follow-through with department heads is raising concerns… Overall, commissioners are supportive of (Gill’s) performance, acknowledging that we are completing a very challenging year with construction, employees performance and subsequent lawsuits,” the report stated.

The county is currently facing four lawsuits, one of them naming Gill individually, and recently settled a fifth lawsuit out of court.

“Communication with the (board of commissioners) appears to be the key,” Gill’s performance appraisal noted. “There is dissatisfaction relative to the lawsuits and issues about the completion of the government center. It is apparent that the board feels that issues emerged that could have been avoided if more upfront discussion had occurred…”

The full county board was expected to act on Gill’s performance appraisal and proposed pay raise at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday evening. The subcommittee recommended a continuation of Gill’s current three-year contract for its remaining two years – through Dec. 31, 2009.

“My retirement date may be before that, but I’ll give you plenty of notice,” Gill told the subcommittee before it adjourned.

Gill has stated previously that he may retire sometime after the county seat moves from Leland and settles in to the new Government Center in Suttons Bay Township. The move is tentatively slated to occur by the end of February 2008.