OSCODA – During their first meeting of 2026, the Oscoda Township Board of Trustees (BOT) approved a job posting for an assistant township manager position.
According to a memorandum written by Township Manager Adam Kline, key responsibilities for this position include administrative and operational support, financial and compliance assistance, and IT coordination.
It also states that it requires a candidate with strong organizational skills, advanced technology proficiency and experience in municipal administration.
Kline explained that hiring someone for this position would help him out, for being in charge of things that he might not be able to get to. “It’s going to be a great asset to the township and to me.”
Township Supervisor Nicole Tregear addressed some concerns that she had while going through the proposed job posting and description, which relate to the starting salary range of $45,000 to $50,000 and why the posting would only be open for 15 days instead of the standard 30 days that the township usually follows.
Kline responded that the 15-day posting period is due to urgency, as there will be an upcoming meeting in February where he will be on vacation. He was looking to get someone in place so the seat would not be empty for that particular meeting.
“We have temporary staffing in place that would be sufficient to carry the workload while we have a 30-day posting,” Tregear said. “My only concern is rushing into it and not staying with the traditional 30-day posting, and giving time for candidates to put in a resumé.”
“I think I can get it done, but I can do whatever the board wants me to do,” Kline noted.
Trustee Tim Cummings remarked that while he believed that having an assistant manager will help the township operations run smoother, he thought that the starting salary was too low for a position with more involvement and higher workload, and that it was more probable that people would likely not apply for this reason.
Trustee Regina Fortner said that while she looked through the job description, she saw the benefit that would come to the board and township employees with the IT and other background that the person in this position would have.
“That’s going to help take off some of the heavy shoulder stuff that has been passed on to some of us,” she elaborated. “We really need to have somebody that can have that position, along with all the other intricate pieces that will assist our township manager and give everybody else on the team time to be doing other things.”
Fortner was in agreement with Cummings about the proposed wages, suggesting that a phrase such as, ‘wage can be negotiable,’ could be added to aid in getting people to consider applying.
Going back to how long the posting will be open, Clerk Heather Tait said that no matter how long it is available, it will still be dicey because of the timing of Kline’s vacation, but that it would be best to have it open for 30 days.
Trustee Mark Wygant had thoughts that Kline was wanting to have it open for a shorter period of time, so that someone could be chosen before he leaves for vacation. The hiring process could then take place while he is gone, and the person could have their training when he returns.
Wygant also stated that he was fine with having the 30-day period in place.
Tregear had another concern about a portion of the duties and responsibilities section, which refers to, “representing the Township Manager at meetings, community events and intergovernmental sessions as needed.”
“I don’t know if an assistant manager can be appointed to represent a township in our commissions and committees,” she said. “This person won’t have any statutory authority to represent a township for decision-making or input that they would be sitting in on for administrative meetings.”
Tait concurred, saying that it would be inappropriate for the assistant to be the representative for the township manager on a board or committee to which Kline has already been appointed.
The BOT ultimately decided to revise the sentence to read that the assistant would just attend the meetings, instead of being a representative of Kline.
Cummings then spoke about the position summary at the beginning of the proposed job posting, stating that he felt as if it didn’t adequately summarize everything in the job description.
He read aloud a new summary that he wrote, which took what was already there and modified it, to add more from the description.
Kline later said that he was fine with all of the changes the board has suggested be made.
Following this discussion, Tait made a motion to approve the request for authorization to hire an assistant township manager, with the following caveats:
- Expanding the open period of the posting from Jan. 13-27, to Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.
- Substituting the position summary written by Cummings.
- Changing the word “represent” to “attend,” under the essential duties and responsibilities section.
The motion also included authorizing the posting in the Michigan Municipal League Classifieds, on Indeed, in this publication and on the Oscoda Township website, at a not-to-exceed cost of $750.
With Wygant’s support of the motion, the job posting and description was approved in a 6-0 vote. Treasurer Jaimie McGuire was absent from the meeting, and therefore, did not vote on any of the action items.
Also on the agenda that evening, was a candidate recommendation for the Oscoda Township Department of Public Works (DPW) Director position.
The DPW Director Search Committee recommended that Ken Kahila be the next to fill this role, after examining resumés, holding formal interviews and having discussion amongst themselves.
According to a memo from Kline, the committee stated that Kahila is an individual “whose leadership qualities, administrative knowledge, budgetary experience, commitment to organizational needs and quality align strongly with the needs and values of Oscoda Township.”
The memo also reads that Kahila “possesses the vision and expertise necessary to lead our Department of Public Works effectively, foster community trust and uphold the highest standards of Oscoda Township.”
Fortner moved to approve Kahila as the DPW director, conditioned upon a satisfactory background check and any necessary agreements. With Tait’s support, the motion passed in a 6-0 vote.
In other matters, it was during the public comment portion of the meeting, when Larry Holland approached the podium to speak about the BOT failing to pass an exemption from the Michigan Public Act 152. This took place during a special board meeting on Dec. 29, 2025, which was covered in the Jan. 7, 2026 edition of this publication.
Because the exemption did not pass, township employees were expected to see an increase in the cost of their medical insurance.
Holland stated that his healthcare costs have gone up, and that no one gave him an Act 152 notice that it was going to increase.
“I was upset when my healthcare went up,” he expressed. “They gave me a 23-day notice. I could say, ‘what a jerk, you should have given me two months notice,’ but it’s too late. The bill already came out and I took the money out.
“But your staff that are going to have this happen to them may not have the same attitude that I have,” he added.
Holland went on to say that it might not be the fault of everyone on the BOT, explaining that prior boards might have a play in it and that the current board is not expected to understand every single protocol or statute that the township has.
“It’s up to you guys to start to form a set of processes that allow you to have a wind-down or a transfer of power that shows that these are the things that have to happen,” he said. “That list should increase every time there is a new board or something that changes hands.”
Holland then suggested that it would be better to invite the public to the meetings, so that they can voice their concerns and solutions to issues, instead of using a “social media defense mechanism” when people do the same on Facebook.
In separate business, two appointments were made to the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Local Development Finance Authority (OWA-LDFA), as detailed below.
- The reappointment of Leisa Sutton to fill a four-year term, expiring on Dec. 31, 2029. Cummings supported a motion by Tait to approve the reappointment, which passed in a 6-0 vote.
- The appointment of Andy Roy to fill a two-year term, expiring Dec. 31, 2027. This spot will be a replacement of the position formerly held by Kathy Morgan-Jones. The BOT voted 6-0 to approve the appointment, after a motion was made by Cummings and supported by Trustee Jeff Linderman.
The 2026 meeting schedule for the Economic Improvement Committee (EIC) was also approved by township officials.
The EIC meets in the Robert J. Parks Library, located at 6010 Skeel Ave., at 11 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month.
A list of the 2026 meeting dates is as follows, and includes one potential deviation from the standard schedule:
Jan. 8, Feb. 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2 or 9, Aug. 6, Sept. 3, Oct. 1, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3.
Tait moved to adopt a resolution authorizing the meeting schedule and, with support from Cummings, it passed in a 6-0 vote.
An amendment to an interlocal agreement with Wilber Township was then looked at by the BOT.
The agreement, which was approved at the Nov. 24, 2025 board meeting – and summarized in the Dec. 3, 2025 edition of this publication – states that Wilber Township agrees to pay Oscoda a total sum of $29,392 for fire prevention and protection services.
In December, Kline was notified by a representative of Wilber Township that there was a text error in the agreement and it was requested that it be changed.
The amendment would allow for a change in the text located in Section 5.1 of the agreement, updating the phrase “state equalized value” to “taxable value.”
The sentence that includes the change now reads as, “Wilber agrees to pay Oscoda that percentage of the fire department budget as Wilber’s taxable value is to the combined taxable value of Oscoda and Wilber.”
A motion was made by Cummings to approve the amendment, which passed with a 6-0 vote, upon receiving support from Tait.
There was also a request from Kline, to attend the 2026 Michigan Township’s Association (MTA) Annual Education Conference and Expo, which is scheduled for April 20-23 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme.
This was brought to the BOT for consideration, so Kline was in accordance with the terms of his employment contract.
He said that it would be a great opportunity for him to attend the conference for educational and networking purposes.
The board also agreed that it would be beneficial for whoever is hired as the assistant township manager to attend, but for them to do so at a future event instead of this year’s conference.
Linderman moved to approve Kline’s request and, following support from Fortner, it passed in a 6-0 vote.
Lastly, there were invoices, change orders and pay applications to address, which are detailed in the following:
- Rowe Professional Services (Rowe) – Invoice for as-needed services, in the amount of $5,098.75. Wygant moved to approve the invoice, which was supported by Tait, passing in a 6-0 vote.
- Rowe – Invoice for the 2024 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, in the amount of $805. This was approved in a 6-0 vote, after Tregear supported a motion by Tait to do so.
- Rowe – Invoice for the 2024 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), in the amount of $16,295.93. Wygant moved and Tregear seconded the approval of the invoice, with the motion being passed 6-0.
- Rowe – Invoice for C2R2 Phase 7 water services, in the amount of $1,400. This was approved 6-0, after Cummings supported a motion to that effect, which was made by Tait.
- Elmer’s Crane and Dozer – A change order for the 2024 CWSRF, in the amount of $45,448. Fortner’s motion to authorize this, was supported by Cummings and approved in a 6-0 decision of the BOT.
- RCL Construction Co. (RCL) – A change order for the 2024 CWSRF, in the amount of $19,150. Fortner moved to approve the change order and, with support from Linderman, it passed in a 6-0 vote.
- RCL – A pay application for the 2024 CWSRF, in the amount of $246,493.35. This was approved in a 6-0 vote, after Tregear seconded a motion made by Fortner to do so.
- RCL – A pay application for the 2024 CWSRF, in the amount of $524,548.80. Cummings moved to approve the application and, with Tregear’s support, it passed in a 6-0 vote.
- Elmer’s Crane and Dozer – A pay application for the 2024 CWSRF, in the amount of $159,300. This passed in a 6-0 vote, after Cummings supported Tait’s motion for approval.
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