Rumor Prompts Board of Commissioners to Reject Finance Department Staffing Tweak

A proposed staffing change to the Leelanau County finance department ignited a tense debate at a budget work session this week, with commissioners rejecting the request based on little more than rumor. The outcome created immediate confusion about what comes next for the long-troubled department.

The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners has been at work on the county’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget since July, with this past Tuesday marking the sixth weekly work session of the cycle. Four hours into the meeting, Finance Director Rio Risbridger briefed the board on staffing level changes that had been requested by the county’s various departments. Highlights included an additional deputy for the sheriff’s office, as well as a request from Risbridger herself to replace a pair of vacant account clerk positions in the finance department with a single staff accountant.

In a memo to commissioners, Risbridger noted the change would “have a favorable impact of $44,433 on the budget” by downsizing the finance department from four employees to three: Risbridger, Assistant Finance Director Austin Flint-Hinson, and the proposed accountant. The department has struggled with employee turnover for years, including in the account clerk positions.

Explaining the request at Tuesday’s meeting, Risbridger said the two account clerk roles have historically “relied heavily on data entry as part of their job.” Modernizations to the department – including a new commercial credit card system and a planned implementation of a new ERP (enterprise resource planning) system will allow the department “to shift the workload” away from data entry “to a more experience-required pointset.” An accountant, Risbridger said, would be better suited for those responsibilities.

Interim County Administrator Lauren Cypher commended the proposal as being in line with “the overarching goal that we’ve been moving towards for five years,” of having a “standalone finance department.”

Not everyone was pleased with the shift. District 4 commissioner Ty Wessell raised concerns about finding a qualified candidate, and about whether the department could handle its workload with three employees rather than four. Wessell also asked Risbridger whether she had “somebody in mind” for the job, and despite her saying she did not, he later returned to the same line of questioning.

“I don’t know how to ask this, but people do talk, and I’ve heard that you have somebody in mind for the position,” Wessell said.

“Like, a previous employee,” interjected District 1 commissioner Rick Robbins.

“So, in relation to what you’re discussing, is Elizabeth Gray interested in this role?” Risbridger responded.

Gray is a former finance department account clerk who, in a March exit letter, accused then County Administrator Jim Dyer of “a pattern of administrative negligence and physical intimidation that poses a significant liability to the County.” Gray’s letter, along with a whistleblower complaint from Risbridger herself, led the Board of Commissioners to place Dyer on administrative leave and launch an outside legal investigation into his conduct. The county and Dyer ultimately agreed to a mutual separation agreement in July.

While the attorney investigation of Gray’s allegations “did not support a finding that [Dyer’s] alleged conduct constituted a sex-based hostile work environment or disparate treatment because of sex,” it did substantiate some “workplace climate, communication, governance, and employee-relations concerns” raised by Gray’s letter.

“I think if Elizabeth wants to apply that we’ll interview her, but I do not have any intention of giving her this position, or having her as the number 1 person for this position,” Risbridger said.

Asked by District 5 commissioner Alan Campbell why the county “wouldn’t accept applications from everyone,” Wessell said he viewed Gray’s hypothetical candidacy as an issue of “respect.”

“I’m going to vote no on this because I do not want to have that position filled with somebody that has worked against us. And I believe that’s the case,” Wessell concluded.

“So, to be clear, you’re going to vote no because you believe I’m going to hire Elizabeth Gray in the position?” Risbridger asked.

“That is correct,” Wessell answered.

Wessell’s fellow Democrats – Robbins and District 6 commissioner Gwenne Allgaier – joined him in his no vote. The motion failed 3-3, with Campbell, Board Chair Steve Yoder, and District 3’s Will Bunek voting yes. Vice Chair Mark Walter was absent.

The rejection of the proposed staffing change caused immediate confusion in the room, especially given that the board had already unanimously approved the immediate creation of the staff accountant position at their regular September meeting. There, Bunek had pitched the change as a way to assist the understaffed finance department as soon as possible. At Tuesday’s meeting, Bunek fretted that the failed motion had not only scuppered that plan, but also left the county with “no staff for the finance department right now for 2027.”

“That’s what you’ve done today,” Bunek told Wessell.

Clarifying the implications, Chief Deputy Clerk Jennifer Zywicki told commissioners that their vote to create the staff accountant position earlier this month means the job now exists and can be filled immediately. However, without a staffing level change to the finance department for next year, the job’s permanence would be in question.

“In 2026, you have a staff accountant that you’re interviewing for, so you have a staff accountant for three months,” Zywicki explained. “If you don’t make a recommendation change [regarding department staffing levels], you’ll have two account clerks for next year.”

Wessell then moved to revisit the matter at next week’s budget session, scheduled for Tuesday, September 29 at 9:30am. Commissioners unanimously supported that motion.