Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Shelter Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mackinac County places animal shelter employee Ginger Valentine on leave pending legal review
Summary
After several public commenters spoke in support of animal shelter staff, the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners voted June 12 to place employee Ginger Valentine on administrative leave pending review by the county's corporate counsel; the board also approved a furnace/AC vendor for the shelter.
Vice Chair Daryl Schroeder presided as the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners voted June 12 to place animal shelter employee Ginger Valentine on administrative leave pending a legal review by the county's corporate counsel.
Several residents spoke during the public comment period in support of shelter staff, including Joann Ford, Joe Durm, Tom North, Tanner North, Donna Desjardins, Bridget West, Linda Smith and Debbie Durm; Ginger Valentine also spoke during public comment. After a report from Lester Livermore, chair of the Mackinac Animal Advisory Committee, Commissioner John Kling moved and Commissioner Judy St. Louis-Scott seconded a motion to place Valentine on leave. The board approved the motion by roll call: YES — Austin Kimberling, John Kling, Daryl Schroeder, Judy St. Louis-Scott; Absent — Mike Patrick.
The motion followed Livermore reading the committee's resolution and describing the committee's activities. The motion and the minutes record that the leave is administrative and is to remain in effect while the county's corporate counsel conducts a legal review; the board did not provide further details about the nature of the review or any alleged conduct at the time of the meeting.
Also connected to shelter operations, the board approved a bid from Mackinac Plumbing for furnace and air-conditioning work at the animal shelter. Commissioner Kling said the Mackinac Plumbing bid more closely matched the county's scope because it included AC; the motion to accept the vendor was approved by roll call with St. Louis-Scott voting NO and the other three commissioners present voting YES. The vote record lists Kimberling, Kling and Schroeder as YES and St. Louis-Scott as NO; Commissioner Patrick was absent.
The board went into closed session at 5:09 p.m. under Michigan statute MCL 15.268(i)(h) to review a legal opinion and returned to open session at 5:22 p.m.; the minutes do not disclose what was discussed in closed session. No formal disciplinary determination or additional personnel actions were announced before adjournment at 5:30 p.m.
Next steps recorded in the meeting minutes: the county corporate counsel will complete the legal review referenced in the motion; the minutes do not specify a timeline for that review or any follow-up public meeting on the matter.
