Undersheriff urges board to reconsider eliminated jail administrator role after fatal weekend incidents

Undersheriff Greg Hubers told the Benzie County Board of Commissioners at its Aug. 12 meeting that the county jail experienced a difficult weekend marked by several serious incidents and urged the board to re-consider reinstating a previously eliminated Jail Administrator position to address workload and oversight concerns.

Hubers reported the jail population at 25 inmates, seven of whom are housed for Grand Traverse County. He said staff have been managing complex and time-consuming duties and asked the board to revisit the decision that eliminated the Jail Administrator role, noting recent events — a fatal car crash in which a three-year-old child died, a drowning in Lake Ann and a serious felonious assault — had placed additional strain on personnel.

Hubers also said he needed to correct earlier information about how much time county personnel are spending on Jail Administrator duties and reiterated the request that the board re-consider the eliminated position. The board did not take a formal vote on staffing at this meeting; the request was recorded as a department head comment and is on the record for future consideration.

Why it matters: the sheriff's office and jail administration are central to county public safety operations; requests to restore management positions affect staffing costs, supervision and operational oversight.

Next steps: Undersheriff Hubers' request remains a discussion item; any formal proposal to restore a position would require a future board action and associated budgetary detail.