Kalkaska County commissioners vote to ask governor to remove treasurer over alleged willful neglect

Kalkaska County commissioners voted July 23 to direct the county administrator to work with county counsel and commissioners to prepare a request asking the governor to remove County Treasurer Tracey from office under Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) 168.207. The motion, made by Commissioner Jeff Sieting and supported by Commissioner David Persons, passed by roll call 4 yeas, 2 nays, 1 absent.

County Counsel Gordon Love told the board the complaint options included a category for "willful neglect of duty," which the board identified as the statutory basis for the report to the governor. Chair Kohn Fisher and other commissioners cited alleged failures by the treasurer to provide required monthly documents and to upload bank statements into the county accounting system; those failures, they said, have prompted additional legal and accounting expenses. Commissioner Robert Baldwin and Chair Fisher said the treasurer previously affected the county's 2024 audit process and that the board must now pursue the statutory removal pathway.

Opponents on the board said the step could be premature. Commissioner David Comai said he did not "see the reasons for this action," and Commissioner Scott Matley warned it was premature until the audit report is completed. The motion directs County Administrator/CFO Pat Whiteford to coordinate the submission with counsel and commissioners; the board did not set a public deadline for the governor's response.

Next steps: the county administrator will prepare the formal complaint package for the governor's office and coordinate with counsel on required documentation. The board's action does not itself remove the treasurer; it seeks executive action under MCL 168.207.