Rosemary Horvath
Herald Correspondent
Following an announcement last week about the formation of a special committee designed to oversee county operations, Gratiot County Board of Commissioners’ Chair Dave Owens walked back the plans, clarifying his intent to assist administrative staff.
“I misspoke when using the word ‘committee,’” he told The Herald, explaining that while he initially proposed forming a special group with Commissioner Steve Sopocy, he had no such authority to do so.
Michigan statute doesn’t allow county commissioners to form new committees without board approval, and no discussion or action had previously been taken, inclduing at last Tuesday’s regular meeting, a day after plans were announced.
Only Owens, Jan Bunting, and Tim Gay were present at the last meeting, while Commissioners Sopocy and George Bailey were absent.
The commission chair acknowledged he is still familiarizing himself with the complexities of county government and had not considered that establishing an oversight committee without approval could conflict with state law.
Owens initially suggested involving Sopocy, a former Grariot undersheriff, due to his law enforcement background. The plan for the group was to review the county’s operations, including fund disbursement, and recommend future processes to ensure appropriate conduct.
However, budgeting functions already involves County Treasurer Terri Ball whose duties include safeguarding public funds.
The idea for the special committee arose after a police investigation led to the resignation of County Administrator Christopher Oosterhoff, who also served as finance manager. Commissioners learned of the probe on Jan. 23, and he resigned the next day.
Legal counsel advised the board against naming Deputy Administrator Sheila Barnaby in the interim, which was an agenda item removed at a special meeting on Jan. 28 to accept Oosterhoff’s resignation.
Owens said he has no timeline for when the investigation will conclude.
“This will take a while to play out,” he said. “Hiring a new administrator is way down the road.”