Commissioners Reject Hazard Pay; Talk COVID-19 Update, Administrator Review

One week after Grand Traverse County commissioners agreed to extend paid sick time to front-line employees impacted by coronavirus, the board rejected a proposal Wednesday to take the additional step of offering hazard pay to those employees, including sheriff’s deputies, correctional officers, and health department staff. At the same meeting, commissioners approved proclamations honoring National Police Week and National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, received a COVID-19 update, and discussed the process for conducting County Administrator Nate Alger’s annual review.

Commissioner Betsy Coffia proposed issuing a one-time payment of $1,000 to approximately 190 front-line county employees she said had been “working around the clock” since February to combat the pandemic and were at a heightened risk of exposure to coronavirus, such as deputies making arrests, correctional officers handling inmates, and health department staff responding to the crisis. “I want us to (issue hazard pay) to recognize the extraordinary situation we're in, the level of over and above they're having to do, and the risk to their families, which is different than what most people signed up for,” Coffia said. While most front-line responders know they're entering risky lines of work when they join their fields, Coffia said, the pandemic is unique in that the risk can now be brought home and spread to family members, leading to their potential illness or death.

Coffia’s proposal to compensate staffers for enduring that elevated risk – a benefit called hazard pay – has already been taken up in several counties in Michigan, primarily in the southeast section of the state where the pandemic has hit hardest. Michigan State Police and state correctional officers are also receiving hazard pay, though Grand Traverse County Finance Director Dean Bott noted the state will likely receive federal reimbursement for those benefits. Grand Traverse County would have to cover its own hazard pay out of pocket, he said.

County Administrator Nate Alger said the one-time lump sum of just under $200,000 proposed by Coffia for hazard pay was available in the county budget, and that distributing the funds to front-line workers as one added payment to their paychecks would “be a very simple solution.” Still, multiple commissioners balked at the proposal, saying that Grand Traverse County – with 19 positive confirmed cases of coronavirus – carried a low exposure risk compared to other areas, that other segments of the population were more at risk than front-line responders, and that it didn’t seem fair to offer increased pay to people who were already employed when so many others in the community were jobless.

“I'd have a hard time looking at my constituents in the face that have been laid off and are struggling to pay their property taxes,” said Commissioner Ron Clous, adding he couldn’t justify under those circumstances giving a $1,000 stipend to county staff who were gainfully employed. Commissioner Sonny Wheelock agreed, saying the county’s coronavirus exposure is “pretty minimal” and that other groups like seniors, low-income residents, and individuals experiencing homelessness are at “higher risk than any of these folks that we’re talking about. I struggle with the whole idea that we should pick out specific groups and do different services for them.” Coffia countered that the county needed to focus on its own area of responsiblity – its employees – and should set an example for others by supporting front-line staff.

Wheelock said he was open to a potential solution that would offer additional personal time at the end of the crisis to employees who’d been unable to take a break during the pandemic, though Coffia argued front-line workers needed support now, not after the crisis. Coffia and Commissioner Bryce Hundley were the sole voices of support for the hazard pay proposal, however, with the remaining five commissioners voting to reject pursuing the issue further. “I don't believe this motion is saying never, but what it’s saying is right now we're not going to pursue it,” said Chair Rob Hentschel. “(Coronavirus cases) could spike any day, and this board could retake up this issue.”

Also at Wednesday’s meeting…
> Commissioners unanimously approved proclamations recognizing National Correctional Officers and Employee Weeks on May 3-9 and National Police Week on May 10-16 in Grand Traverse County. The proclamations recognize “our local correctional officers, employees, and law enforcement officers for the outstanding work they do and the sacrifices they make,” according to a memo from Sheriff Tom Bensley, including “the honor and service of those law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty while protecting our communities and safeguarding our democracy.”

> Health Officer Wendy Hirschenberger provided an update on COVID-19 to commissioners, noting that while Grand Traverse County still has a “relatively low number of positive cases,” figuring out how to expand local testing capacity will be crucial to managing the disease going forward. “The testing capacity needs to improve greatly” for the economy to reopen safely, Hirshcenberger cautioned, adding that health department officials will likely still be dealing with coronavirus 18-24 months from now. “The transmission is not going away,” she said.

Hirschenberger’s comments were echoed in a press conference later Wednesday by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who said she’ll announce details Friday on plans to start reopening sections of the state. Whitmer warned that she’ll likely pursue a short extension of the Stay Home Stay Safe order – with longer restrictions in place for vulnerable populations – but said Michigan will start taking small steps to phase back in sectors of the economy. 

> Finally, commissioners agreed Wednesday to a written evaluation process for conducting an annual performance review of Alger. The review is due by May 1 each year and includes measurements of Alger's performance in categories including his relationship with commissioners, strategic planning, leadership and staff relations, and financial management. Coffia tried to modify the review process to include anonymous feedback from Alger’s direct reports to be shared with commissioners, but that proposal was rejected by other board members, who worried about the tight timeline of the review process and staff feedback potentially being obtained by the media through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.