Residents and Kaliseum staff urge Kalkaska County to boost director’s pay to retain John Starr

Multiple Kaliseum staff members and community sponsors told the Kalkaska County Board of Commissioners on June 26 that the county should raise the salary of Kaliseum Director John Starr to avoid losing programs and sponsorship revenue.

Chris Day, a Kaliseum-affiliated speaker, told commissioners it is the board’s responsibility to address the facility’s finances: “it is not Starr’s responsibility to make the Kaliseum profitable, but it is the Boards responsibility.” Several other speakers said Starr’s leadership had improved youth programming and community use of the Kaliseum since 1978-era operations were different.

Chad Williams, a Kaliseum employee, said he feared for his own job if Starr leaves and told the board he could not replace all of Starr’s relationships with sponsors and donors. Another commenter, Mitch Sutton, raised concern that a proposed $10,000 stipend for Starr had not been approved and warned the facility might close without retention steps.

Speakers also questioned why private businesses were allowed to operate from the Kaliseum and urged the board to consider user fee changes or a wage adjustment to avoid program disruption. Suzanne Prentice and others described increased youth programming and said community referrals to the Kaliseum had risen under Starr’s tenure.

The public comments concluded at 6:14 p.m.; the board did not take an immediate personnel vote during the meeting but discussed wages and agreed to include the interim appointment in further wage decisions at a July 7 special meeting.