After only 18 months on the job, Traverse City Manager Liz Vogel has resigned from her position. Vogel’s abrupt departure was announced Thursday in a city press release at the same time an agenda for Monday’s commission meeting was posted online showing commissioners will vote to approve a separation agreement with Vogel that night. An intensive 360 performance review was recently conducted for Vogel but not released, compounding questions about her departure.

The press release stated that Vogel and the city “mutually agreed to part ways,” though no further explanation was offered. The release highlighted Vogel’s leadership of “several meaningful initiatives, including the closure of the Pines encampment through a compassionate enforcement approach that recognized the dignity of the unhoused. She also facilitated the city’s first community-driven strategic plan, completed two full budget cycles, and helped resolve multiple union agreements in a collaborative and timely manner.”

In a written statement, Vogel said: “I’m proud of what we accomplished together in a short time. We laid a strong foundation for the future while navigating complex policy, operational, and regional challenges. I’m ready to move forward and remain committed to public service. I thank the people of Traverse City, the dedicated city staff, and our community partners for the opportunity to serve.” Vogel did not return a request for further comment. Mayor Amy Shamroe also addressed the resignation in a written statement but declined to comment further.

“We thank Liz Vogel for her leadership and service to Traverse City,” Shamroe wrote. “Her efforts during a critical time helped move several important initiatives forward. We wish her all the best in her next chapter.”

The proposed separation agreement lists July 14 as the effective date for Vogel’s resignation. It includes standard mutual liability waivers and non-disparagement clauses, as well as a severance payout totaling $112,071. That figure includes a combination of severance, accrued vacation, and short-term-leave payments, plus a year of health insurance coverage.

Those terms indicate Vogel and the city negotiated a unique agreement for her separation. When she was hired, Vogel’s contract stipulated that if commissioners terminated her, she would receive 180 calendar days of pay and health and dental premiums as severance. If Vogel resigned, she was required to give the city at least 60 days’ notice or else pay damages equal to one half of her daily pay for each day less than 60 days. The proposed separation agreement states that Vogel acknowledges and agrees “the city does not have a preexisting duty to pay the severance payment identified in this agreement” and gives Vogel up to one week to revoke the agreement. “It is understood by all parties that this agreement is a compromise,” the language states.

Vogel was due to return to the office this week following a three-week leave of absence, which she took under the Family and Medical Leave Act to focus on her health, she told commissioners. Vogel told The Ticker at the time that she didn’t anticipate needing more than three weeks off. However, Vogel is not expected to return to the Governmental Center again due to her pending separation.

Commissioners in January approved using an intensive 360 performance review process for both the city manager and city attorney this year. Facilitator Becky Ewing was hired to lead the process, which included interviewing all seven commissioners, 10 city department heads, the assistant city manager, and the leaders of the TC Downtown Development Authority and Traverse City Light & Power about Vogel’s leadership. Emails and calendar invites obtained by The Ticker through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request indicate those interviews occurred this spring.

The process was supposed to include Ewing delivering a report to the city by the end of May, with a closed-session review to take place with the city manager and commissioners in early June to discuss the results. That process was to conclude with a potential renegotiation of contract terms for the coming year. Vogel’s employment contract stipulates she is supposed to be reviewed by the end of June each year. However, commissioners never held that review session with Vogel.

Commissioners did, however, go into closed session at their June 16 regular meeting and at a special meeting July 2 to discuss “an agreement.” The nature of that agreement was not disclosed. City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht and City Human Resources Director Kristine Bosley did not return requests for comment on whether Ewing delivered her report to the city and why commissioners hadn’t yet scheduled a session with Vogel to discuss her performance. Ewing referred questions to Trible-Laucht.

As part of the review process, Vogel was asked to create a “year in review” document evaluating her own performance, which The Ticker obtained via FOIA. Vogel discussed a year of “both progress and unforeseen challenges,” admitting the position had a “steep learning curve.” Vogel wrote that she “began this job in an environment of limited trust, which was not immediately apparent” to her when she first stepped into the role.

“Some early missteps on my part made rebuilding that trust even more difficult, but significant progress has been made, and the momentum is exciting,” Vogel wrote. Vogel said the past year “presented challenges that tested resilience, adaptability, and relationship building,” though she felt that “lessons learned will guide stronger decision-making, reinforce internal policies, and improve communication with both the commission and the public.” Vogel alluded to controversy that arose in 2024 over a perceived conflict of interest when she recommended a friend’s firm for a significant city IT contract without disclosing the friendship.

“A significant lesson from the past year has been the need to reinforce consistency in open communication...even when no actual conflict of interest exists, it is important to recognize that even the whiff of an appearance of a conflict must be addressed,” she wrote. When asked what commissioners could do to support her going forward, Vogel cited “a clear and consistent understanding of expectations” and “establishing realistic priorities,” writing that “at times it has felt as though the goalposts were shifting, making it difficult to maintain focus.” Vogel asked for the opportunity to “discuss potential changes to my employment agreement with the mayor and mayor pro tem following the completion of the evaluation process.”

Vogel was hired in late 2023 to start as city manager on January 2, 2024 with a $175,000 salary. She received a generally positive performance review last year after a few months on the job, though commissioners asked her to work on communication. Commissioners last summer voted to increase Vogel’s vacation time from four to five weeks and award a 3.5 percent raise, plus another 3.5 percent raise on her hire anniversary. Vogel was hired after former City Manager Marty Colburn left – also under abrupt circumstances – in early 2023 before his annual review could be completed.

Commissioners Monday will likely discuss next steps following Vogel’s departure, including the appointment of an interim city manager and a potential process to hire a long-term replacement.