Kalamazoo County commissioners direct staff to gather input on administrator replacement, set July 7 deadline

The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners voted June 23 to direct county administration to gather input from department heads, employees, municipal leaders, elected officials and township supervisors on a replacement for the county administrator and to deliver that information to the board by July 7, 2026.

The action followed a closed-session review of a written legal opinion dated June 23, 2026 concerning the county administration controller’s legal structure and a succession plan. The board initially moved into closed session under statutory exemptions cited in the Open Meetings Act and related Freedom of Information Act provisions; the motion to go into closed session was made by Vice Chair Prom Heepler and supported by Commissioner Morales and carried on a roll-call vote of seven in favor.

Returning to open session, Chair Strebs told the board it had discussed options for succession planning and thanked the county administrator for recent service, noting the administrator will remain with the county through Aug. 14 while transition planning proceeds. The board said it wants broad input from internal staff and external municipal partners as it evaluates whether to appoint an interim administrator or hire a permanent replacement.

"We're hoping to determine an expedited way to get some feedback from county employees and elected officials as we move for consideration of what we'll do on an interim basis for the organization," Chair Strebs said.

Vice Chair Taylor presented a motion directing administration to solicit feedback on candidate qualities and other input and to direct the administrator-controller to work closely with the finance department on the 2027 budget. After discussion about the motion’s scope, commissioners amended it to include a July 7 deadline for returning the requested information and bifurcated the motion so the budget-direction stood as a separate vote.

Commissioner Gistler asked that township supervisors be explicitly included among the municipal leaders the board wants to hear from; that change was incorporated into the direction. Commissioners also said the board wants feedback about qualities such as work ethic and trustworthiness when reviewing candidates.

"If any employees are listening, please send us emails as well as going through the whatever channel is garnered," Vice Chair Taylor said as she described the type of input the board is seeking.

Both motions—the directive to gather stakeholder input by July 7 and the directive for the administrator-controller to coordinate with the finance director on the 2027 budget—carried on voice votes. The board also approved the close-session minutes before adjourning.

What happens next: county administration will collect the requested input and present it to the board by the July 7 meeting; the board will then consider next steps for filling the administrator role and advance the 2027 budget preparations.