OTTAWA COUNTY — Ottawa County employees rated their level of trust with the board of commissioners at about 24%.

That’s according to a new countywide employee survey released Oct. 2. 

Read the survey4.8MB ∙ PDF fileDownloadThe survey was conducted July 23-Aug. 17 by Gallagher Surveys, which has conducted human resources-related surveys for over 40 years and is one of the leading providers of compensation and benefits data in the country, according to its website.Download

The survey was conducted July 23-Aug. 17 by Gallagher Surveys, which has conducted human resources-related surveys for over 40 years and is one of the leading providers of compensation and benefits data in the country, according to its website.

The results were shared with department heads but as of publication had not been shared with all employees. A representative within the county human resources department said he could not comment on the matter.

The survey yielded a -32 score when county employees were asked: How likely is it that you would recommend Ottawa Count as a place to work? It was the lowest rating the county has seen in the past two decades when the internal surveys began in 2004 (when it received a -26 rating).

Just less than half of all respondents (49%) said they considered leaving within the past six months.

Of the 1,151 employees of Ottawa County, 721 completed responses, a 63% participation rate. Gallagher said the margin of error for results was +/-2.232%.

The results come after a tumultuous tenure of the Ottawa Impact that began in January 2023, when the far-right fundamentalist group assumed a majority on the 11-member board.

The group was formed by Joe Moss and Sylvia Rhodea in 2021 after they took issue with pre-K-6 school mask mandates and other mitigation measures issued by the state and local health departments during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Moss launched the political action committee under the premise of “defending parental rights” and to “thwart tyranny” within the state and federal government. Now, he and Rhodea are the chair and vice chair of the board, respectively.

In August, several OI incumbents and new candidates lost in their respective Republican primary races, meaning the OI majority on the board of commissioners is unlikely to continue in January when the board selects new leadership and makes fresh subcommittee appointments. 

Incoming county commissioners also will serve through 2029 to reflect a revision to state law to expand county commissioner terms from two to four years.

The survey asked targeted questions about how county employees viewed the commissioners and their work, none of which had a favorable rating:

• The Board of Commissioners is leading Ottawa County in the right direction: 29%
• The Board of Commissioners does a good job communicating information about organizational objectives: 32%
• The actions of the Board of Commissioners reflect their commitment to Ottawa County’s vision and values: 36%

The county’s administration office has had a high amount of turnover since Ottawa Impact took over: The OI-led board fired two permanent administrators within 13 months, hired an interim for 2024, and are now looking for the county’s fifth administrator in three years. There also have been three deputy administrators within the same time.

Administration fared a bit better than the board in approval ratings, but still didn’t crack the 50% halfway mark overall:

• The County Administration does a good job communicating information about organizational objectives: 44%
• Feedback from the last employee engagement survey led to positive changes at Ottawa County” 46%
• The actions of County Administration reflect their commitment to Ottawa County’s vision and values: 51%
• County Administration does a good job communicating information about organizational objectives: 44%

County employees also indicated a deep distrust of the administration, saying they rated trust between them and the office at only 39%.

Just over two-thirds of all respondents (71%) said they sometimes, frequently or always felt burned out working for the county. The feedback comes after the county has made headlines locally and nationally for several decisions Ottawa Impact has made, which resulted in five lawsuits between February 2023 and May 2024 and a brief investigation from the state attorney general’s office for alleged Open Meetings Act violations.

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“Employees in Ottawa county express dissatisfaction with poor administration and leadership that does not prioritize their needs,” the Gallagher report said. “Burnout is common due to heavy workloads, lack of direction, and insufficient staffing. … Employees feel unsupported by county leadership and the Board of Commissioners. … There is a need for better communication, more staff, and improved leadership to address these concerns.”

When asked if they could change two things within the county, employees rated leadership and benefits as their top two priorities:

• Leadership: 40%
• Benefits: 39%
• Pay & Bonus: 28%
• Communication: 26%
• Workloads/Staffing: 25%

In survey performance categories rated “in order of performance vs. the norm,” the board of commissioners ranked last at a 33% favorability rating among respondents. County administration was ranked as the next-lowest category at a 47% favorability rating.

Meanwhile, individual department leadership ratings were relatively high, with 82% of employees saying their respective department leadership is interested in the wellbeing of employees.

When employees were asked: “What makes you want to continue working at this organization?” they rated the following categories:

• Benefits: 42%
• Atmosphere: 27%
• Organizational Strategy: 25%
• Loyalty: 19%
• Leadership: 16%

— Contact Sarah Leach at SentinelLeach@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. Subscribe to her content at sentinelleach.substack.com.