Board of Commissioners

Meetings

• 9:30 am                                                  
• 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month      
• Otsego County Building                          

  225 W. Main St., Room 100                                     

  Gaylord, MI 49735                                           

The Board welcomes residents to express their ideas or concerns about issues affecting Otsego County Government.  Informal comments are welcome near the end of the meeting agenda called "Agenda Items." Speakers are requested to state their name and address, with individual comments being limited to three minutes or less, according to Board Rules (PDF). Copies of Board agendas are available electronically on this web-site or by calling the Office of the County Administrator at 989-731-7520. Minutes of past meetings are also available electronically or by calling the County Clerk's office at 989-731-7500. For a complete list of upcoming meetings, see the Otsego County Event Calendar.

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes

Members                                                                                    

• Terra Deming (R), District I
• Henry Mason (R), District II
• Jonathan Turnbull (R), District III
• Brett McVannel (R), District IV
• Jason Clement (R), District V
• Trevor Burroughs (R), District VI
• Douglas C. Johnson (R), District VII
• Dana Wingo (R), District VIII
• Kyle Yohe (R), District IX
• Matt Barresi   , Administrator

Overview

The chief legislative and policy-making body of Otsego County Government is the 9-member Board of Commissioners. Commissioners are elected to 2-year terms from districts that are roughly equal in population. A Chair is elected every one to two years depending on the Commissioners vote at the first meeting of the year.  The Vice-chair is elected every year at the first meeting of each new year by the Commissioners. The Chair may exercise appointment of a parliamentarian. Among the Commissioners’ duties are:

• Approving a mission statement for the County.
• Adopting the annual County budget, which for 2023 is a total of $46.2 million. This includes approving the annual budgets of other, independently elected, County officials: the County Clerk, the Drain Commissioner, Judges of the 46th Circuit Trial Court, the Prosecutor, the Sheriff and the Treasurer, and all other departmental and agency budgets.
• Raising the money to fund the County’s operations by levying property taxes, setting fees, selling bonds or borrowing.
• Appointing citizen members to County boards, commissions and committees, which provide oversight for significant County services. These include the Parks and Recreation Board, Planning Commission, Housing Committee, Jury Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Library Board, Board of Public Works, Commission on Aging, and the Building Authority, among others.
• Selecting a County Administrator to implement Board policies and supervise the day-to-day operations of County departments.
• Determining the sites of County buildings, and purchasing or disposing of County-owned property and facilities.
• Representing the County, and managing its property and business by adopting rules, regulations, ordinances and policies.