The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners is about to enter its third round of interviews with the leading candidates for the county’s new administrator/chief financial officer (CFO) role, which could lead to a quick resolution to over three years of internal conflict in local government if the board chooses wisely.
At the root of the problem is the previous county board of commissioners’ decision in May 2021 to remove finance and personnel duties from the county clerk and assign them to new finance and human resources (HR) departments.
Many Michigan counties separate these responsibilities into different departments, but the transition required planning and mutual buy-in that were sorely lacking in Leelanau County at the time. The motion was a late addition to the board’s meeting agenda and was approved after little discussion by a 4-3 vote along party lines.
