Although the county clerk’s office is no longer officially responsible for Leelanau County’s finances, they nonetheless helped complete next year’s budget and will continue to help manage payroll and prepare for the March 2024 audit. The board of commissioners agreed Tuesday to pay stipends to two clerk’s office employees for up to four months for the additional work, albeit reluctantly by some members.
Per the board’s decision, County Clerk Michelle Crocker and her chief deputy clerk, Jennifer Zywicki will both receive fixed weekly payments of $250 – 10 hours per week at $25 an hour – through April 30, 2024. Discussion by the finance committee indicates the payments will be canceled once a more “permanent structure” is in place.
Interim finance director Cathy Hartesvelt said that these stipends originated as “temporary, end-of-year support” for the finance department after the department’s second director, Jared Prince, resigned in December 2022, and were renewed earlier this year in June 2023.
