The final Oceana County Board of Commissioners meeting for 2025 saw term reappointments, the signing of a letter of recognition for the Oceana County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) staff and an update on the search for a new county maintenance supervisor.
The reappointments were for Jeff Hiddema and Erik Bengston for their work with the Parks & Recreation Commission, both for 3-year terms, and came at the request of the very board they serve on. Commission Chairman Garry McKeen also came to the meeting to speak on their behalf. He described them as “great assets to the county” who are set to progress further in the department and added that the commission would like to find “a couple more like them.”
Chairman Robert Walker agreed that Hiddema and Bengston were “both valuable people” and all present commissioners (Commissioner Joel McCormick was absent and excused by the chair) voted in favor of both reappointments.
In other business, a candidate has been chosen and has accepted the job position for county maintenance supervisor. As of yet, the personal information of the candidate and of the other applicants has been redacted to negate the risk of conflict with any current job positions they might hold. The candidate is projected to start work on Jan. 5, 2026.
The board approved and signed a letter of understanding between the commissioners, OCSO and the Michigan Police Union entering into a collective bargaining agreement through the end of 2028. This agreement would ensure that, in the case of the sheriff’s department office manager being absent, the front office is staffed with trained personnel such as the administrative assistant and bailiff. This agreement is, according to Sheriff Craig Mast, the “status quo of what we’ve been doing for years; now it’s just on paper.” It will not change the salary status of any employees or deprive union members of their overtime.
There was no public comment for either the finance and administration or regular meetings, and the commissioners wished each other and the rest of the present staff a Merry Christmas and a good start to 2026.
