Since late summer last year, Oceana County Council on Aging (OCCOA) has received scrutiny from community members during board meetings regarding lack of transparency in revenue, budget and salaries, concern for low hourly wages, and the management of Our Friends House (OFH) adult day services. At the April 28 Board of Directors meeting in Hart, OCCOA responded to some of these concerns.
Board member and head of the personnel committee, Lori Suttner, asked several clarifying questions of Finance Director Kay Butcher and Senior Care Services Director Jacci Smith regarding wages and report discrepancies. As Suttner explained, these questions come “in light of [OCCOA] salaries being put out in public,” continuing that “things that were not brought into the light, and… it’s important that we all understand how people are actually paid.”
The two wage discrepancies in question were regarding the comparison between previous and current positions, particularly those of a staff RN (currently the role is contracted) and manager of Our Friends House.
Regarding the change from a salaried to contracted RN and the respective compensation packages, Butcher affirmed what Suttner asked - that a contracted position is more fiscally responsible for OCCOA. Suttner asked if the current wages for Our Friend House’s manager ($20/hour for a new hire) were competitive, which Butcher explained they were, according to wage studies conducted by OCCOA.
For Smith, Suttner questioned previous discrepancies regarding served lunch numbers between the main facility and OFH and what was being done to correct those. According to Smith, lunch number “records weren’t necessarily handled well from Our Friends House,” prompting a restructuring of the way numbers were recorded and the implementation of a “checks and balances” system to ensure accuracy.
Said Suttner, “I ask these questions for clarity, not just for myself, but for the board members and for everyone that’s involved in our organization.”
Suttner also brought to the board’s attention increases in Michigan’s minimum wage, encouraging the board and organization to consider OCCOA’s hourly wages and ensure they remain competitive.
Public comment for the April meeting primarily consisted of outside parties and volunteers thanking OCCOA for their collaboration in both services, classes and building use. These include Troy Maloney of Oceana County Emergency Management, Mary Ann Bush hosting exercise classes and Lauren Copeland’s volunteer work for tax preparation services.
Mary Sloan of the Oceana GRACE group (Grassroots Residents Advocating for Community Elders) also spoke at public comment, further reiterating the group’s mission to support disabled seniors where they believe OCCOA is lacking and further expressing concern regarding the organization’s perceived lack of transparency.
Also at public comment was Kathleen Premer, who served as OCCOA’s executive director from 1996 to 2022. She thanked current executive director Stephanie Moore for her 25 years of service to OCCOA.
Moore, alongside several other employees, were honored for their years of service to OCCOA throughout the meeting.
