Meridian Twp. inks deal with former Manager Frank Walsh. Here's what's in it
MERIDIAN TWP. — Meridian Township will pay former Manager Frank Walsh $160,000 through a consultation agreement that runs from May to the end of the year.
On Sunday, the Township Board unanimously voted to approve Walsh's resignation agreement, which came after an investigation that started in 2023 into "actions taken by Walsh in his role as Township Manager."
However, details of the investigation, including the nature of complaints and any findings, remain secret.
On Tuesday, days after the Township Board approved the agreements, the township posted a statement to its website that also included a link to the resignation and consultation agreements.
Walsh has declined to comment on the investigation. He announced last week that he planned to resign.
"For the last 20 years I’ve been evaluated on my performance and interaction with staff, diplomacy and tact," he told the State Journal on Tuesday. "In all of those, I was rated exemplary, each year. I have appreciated my entire 11 years with Meridian Township. It was an honor to serve the community and wish everyone well."
The resignation agreement says Walsh will receive a payout of 103 days of unused vacation time that he had accumulated and 25% of the value of the remaining sick days. The township will pay the full cost of the retiree health care for him and his spouse for the rest of 2024 and 50% of that cost starting in 2025.
The consultation agreement takes effect on May 1 and expires on Dec. 31, paying Walsh $160,823. The agreement specifies two projects that he'll work on, including the township's 2025 budget. Walsh will also lead a team tasked with site selection, design, fundraising and financing for a potential community and senior center.
Messages seeking an interview with Trustees Kathy Ann Sundland and Peter Trezise were not immediately returned. They were the trustees the township said negotiated the resignation and consultation agreements with Walsh.
Tim Schmitt, the community planning and development director, began as the interim township manager on Monday. On Tuesday, he said he hasn't seen any documents about the investigation and believes that information has only been shared with the township trustees.
In January, the State Journal submitted a public records request for financial records and documents regarding any investigations involving Walsh. The township declined to release them without a $2,700 payment.
Schmitt said he got a call on Saturday about whether he would step into the interim role. He said he's not yet decided whether he intends to seek the permanent position, but hopes to do well enough over the next six months to be considered if he does.
"I can assure everyone from the average homeowner to the largest business in the township that we are here and will continue to provide outstanding service," he said, adding that his message to township staff was that his job was to support them and make them look good.
The township said it will conduct a national search for Walsh's replacement. No timeline has been released for that process. Schmitt said that, based on his experience in local government, a final decision is unlikely before November.
Walsh led the township through some of its more significant challenges in recent years, including its role in the Larry Nassar scandal and the pandemic.
In 2018, Walsh apologized on behalf of the township after a woman came forward who made a complaint against Nassar in 2004 that township police chose not to forward to prosecutors.
"On behalf of the community, our police department, to you, ... we failed you," Walsh said at the time. “We let you down."
The township made sweeping changes in how it handled sexual assault complaints as a result.
In March of 2022, Walsh and his wife wrote a $3,200 personal check to buy gas cards for all township employees.
They bought 160 Okemos Marathon gift cards to provide one $20 card to every township staff member, with Walsh saying he wanted to show appreciation to the staff, who were facing high grocery and gas costs during the pandemic.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Meridian Twp. inks deal with former Manager Frank Walsh. Here's what's in it
