A new year, a new Grand Traverse County commission.

That’s the hope of County Commission Chair Carol Crawford, who is proposing a new set of rules to guide commissioners’ conduct and ethical standards in 2018. The board will discuss the proposed rules – aimed at reducing personal attacks and sniping that dominated commission debate over the past year – at a 5:30pm organizational meeting tonight (Wednesday) at the Governmental Center. Commissioners will also discuss the county’s animal control department and relocating a county recycling center at a regular meeting immediately following the organizational one.

After researching code of ethics and standards of conduct policies in other counties, Crawford drafted proposed guidelines for commissioners to consider adopting that outline expected behaviors for those serving on the board. “There is a code of ethics for the county in general…but the penalty for not following it is disciplinary action up to and including termination, which obviously for the board of commissioners (as elected officials) can’t happen,” Crawford explains. “These (guidelines) are for the board of commissioners only.”

Several of the proposed standards of conduct provisions call for increased caution and courtesy when communicating as a county commissioner. “Avoid during public meetings and during the performance of public duties the use of abusive, threatening or intimidating language or gestures directed at colleagues, citizens or personnel,” one provision states. “Avoid criticism of colleagues or county employees in public spaces or open meetings; have conversations of this nature only in private meetings or in closed session with the appropriate individuals,” reads another.

The policy also calls for avoiding “comments, body language or distracting activity that conveys a message of disrespect for the presentations from citizens, personnel or colleagues” and maintaining “an attitude of courtesy and consideration toward all colleagues and staff during all discussions and deliberations.” Crawford says the goal of the policy is to reduce personal attacks and heated exchanges that occurred among commissioners at several county meetings in 2017.

“We’re all on the same side, which is the side of our county and our citizens, and I want people to act like we’re on the same side,” says Crawford. “Making personal attacks and trying very hard to trip up another commissioner is not good. We all have jobs and families, and to disparage someone as a person because they don’t share your opinion I think is very uncivil.”

The policy states that if a complaint is made about a commissioner violating the code of ethics or standards of conduct, the board chair will forward the complaint to the entire commission for review, with the commissioner in question permitted to respond to the complaint in writing. The board and county administrator and/or county attorney may meet if needed to discuss the allegation and the commissioner’s response, with the commission polled on how they wish to proceed. If a complaint is made about the chair, the vice chair will facilitate the process. Crawford currently serves as board chair; Commissioner Ron Clous serves as vice chair, though his term in that role is up tonight, with the board set to vote on either extending his term or appointing a new vice chair.

While the draft rules also discourage commissioners from using the media to criticize fellow commissioners, staff or colleagues, Crawford says her goal isn’t to restrict commissioners from publicly sharing their views but rather keep remarks focused on issues instead of individuals. “Disagreement is fine; I don’t want to be disagreeable,” she says. “And I think in the past year there’s been a lot of disagreeable.” The policy calls upon commissioners to “make sure, when responding to the media, that a clear distinction is made between personal opinion or belief and a decision made by the board.”

Following tonight’s organizational meeting, commissioners will hold their first regular meeting of 2018. Commissioner Dan Lathrop, who along with Commissioners Bob Johnson and Cheryl Gore Follette sits on an ad hoc committee dedicated to reviewing options for improving county animal control services, requested the board discuss the latest updates regarding the department. In recent months, citizens sitting on the ad hoc committee have helped created a social media campaign and video series in partnership with local filmmaker Rich Brauer to encourage residents to get their dogs licensed. Dog license fees are now the sole source of revenue for the animal control department, which is struggling staffing-wise to keep up with local demand. Commissioners have discussed the possibility of pursuing a millage in 2018 that would help fund the department on a long-term basis.

Commissioners tonight will also consider approving the relocation of a public recycling drop-off site from Hughes Drive to LaFranier Road. The site is one of seven provided by American Waste at no cost to the county as a supplemental option to curbside recycling. The Hughes Drive drop-off site is on American Waste’s property, space the company now needs to accommodate growing demand for parking and reduce residential traffic in its industrial park. If approved by the board, the public recycling drop-off site would be relocated from Hughes Drive to the county’s public services building on LaFranier Road.