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Ottawa County approves Waterman contract after amendments on duties, pay and nondiscrimination language
Summary
After hours of debate and several amendments, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners approved Patrick Waterman’s employment agreement 7–4. Changes include clarified appointment/removal authority, board-determined performance pay criteria, a nondiscrimination clause tied to law, and corrected vacation accrual.
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners voted 7–4 on Sept. 23 to approve Patrick Waterman’s employment agreement after amending multiple contract provisions.
Doug (a commissioner who moved the contract amendment) read replacement language that added supervisory authority and appointment powers while reserving final approval to the board: "The county administrator shall supervise the operation and performance of all county departments and department heads, except elected officials and their officers, and with the approval of the board, appoint and remove all heads of departments other than elected officials." Commissioners said the change mirrors language used in prior contracts and provides consistency across administrations.
The board also changed paragraph 6 to make the administrator responsible for facilitating a strategic plan "in collaboration with the board of commissioners," rather than unilaterally directing the county’s future. Commissioners pushed for a clear process on performance pay; the final amendment requires the board and the administrator to develop specific performance goals and gives the board final determination of any performance pay within the first year.
The meeting included a contentious debate over proposed nondiscrimination language. One commissioner moved to add the phrase "champions colorblind equality in all facets of the role, committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect," but several colleagues and counsel warned that language risked injecting a value statement into responsibilities and could create legal ambiguity for contracts and vendors. That precise phrasing failed. The board then adopted a narrower, compromise clause requiring the administrator to "serve every person with dignity and respect in accordance with state and federal law."
Other amendments included changing the outside-employment clause so the administrator may not engage in outside work "without the knowledge and approval of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners," and fixing a typographical error in benefits to allow up to 30 days (not 300) of accrued vacation. The final contract—incorporating the approved amendments—passed 7–4.
Board members who opposed the final contract cited process and trust concerns raised during the hiring process; supporters said the negotiated changes produced a clearer, legally sound agreement. John (the chair) signaled he would formalize the contract language in a separate document and have the board finalize the performance-pay criteria within Waterman’s first year.
