Benzie County commissioners elect Art Jeannot chair, adopt 2026 meeting schedule, rules and per‑diem policy

The Benzie County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 6 elected Commissioner Art Jeannot as board chair and Commissioner Rhonda Nye as vice chair, set its 2026 meeting schedule, and approved updated board rules and a per‑diem policy during an organizational meeting at the Benzie County Government Center in Beulah.

The meeting opened at 9:00 a.m., called to order by County Clerk Tammy Bowers. Seven commissioners were recorded as present: Art Jeannot, Tim Markey, Len Mathieu, Rhonda Nye, Bob Roelofs, Gary Sauer and Christina Trigg. Commissioner Bob Roelofs gave the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance followed.

Commissioner Gary Sauer nominated Jeannot for chair; Sauer moved to close nominations and Rhonda Nye seconded. A roll‑call vote recorded all members as voting aye and Jeannot assumed the chair for the remainder of the meeting. Tim Markey nominated Nye for vice chair; that motion to close nominations was moved by Markey, seconded by Roelofs and carried unanimously.

Why it matters: Organizational meetings establish leadership, meeting cadence and procedural rules that govern county business for the year. The board set its regular meetings for the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 9:00 a.m., with study sessions on the second Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. The board agreed there will be no evening meetings in 2026 and removed the April 28 and December 22 regular meeting dates from the calendar. Discussion of whether to observe Juneteenth as a county holiday was deferred to the February study session.

The board approved amended Board Rules for 2026, with stated edits to provisions governing special meetings, voting, organization, committees, conduct of meetings and parliamentary authority. The rules text adopted at the meeting references compliance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act and Robert’s Rules of Order as Revised; the motion to adopt the rules was moved by Commissioner Tim Markey, seconded by Gary Sauer, and carried on a unanimous roll call.

Policy changes: The board also adopted a Policy on Compensation effective Jan. 1, 2026, that sets per‑diem rates at $50 for meetings four hours or less, $100 for meetings longer than four hours (counted as two meetings), and $150 for meetings exceeding eight hours (counted as three meetings). The policy clarifies that per‑diem will not be paid for attending regular or reconvened county board meetings but may be paid for village, city, township, committee or special assignment meetings as detailed in the policy.

Votes at a glance: The board approved three resolutions by roll call vote: Resolution 2026‑001 authorizing ACH electronic transfers; Resolution 2026‑002 designating county depositories; and Resolution 2026‑003 reaffirming the county’s Fair Housing resolution and policy. Each resolution was authorized for signature by the board chair and recorded with unanimous ayes and no nays.

Procedural notes: Commissioners were asked to submit preferred committee assignments to the county administrator and chair; committee appointments will be handled at the Jan. 13 meeting. The board also adopted a public comment statement governing speaker time and procedures for the year.

What’s next: The board adjourned at 11:35 a.m. Minutes were signed by Chair Art Jeannot and County Clerk Tammy Bowers and are scheduled for approval at the Jan. 13, 2026 meeting.