Supervisors discuss hiring county engineer after 90‑day vacancy; staff to widen recruitment and consider interim support
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Summary
Board members said the county has been without a permanent county engineer for about 90 days, discussed posting and recruitment strategies, and agreed to broaden outreach and consider consultant/interim help; no final hire was made.
Pottawatomie County supervisors held an extended discussion on replacing the county engineer, a position the Board said has been vacant for roughly 90 days. Supervisors emphasized the role’s importance — the secondary roads budget is a major county expense and the engineer performs visible, technical and personnel functions that require a qualified hire.
A supervisor (name not specified in the transcript) told the Board the vacancy means the department lacks a filled engineer and assistant engineer position and that multiple staff members are “working out of class” to cover duties such as personnel approvals and contract oversight. The supervisor said the county cannot process certain Iowa DOT projects fully without a county engineer in place and urged broader recruitment beyond the currently used job‑posting sites.
Human resources staff reported the county reposted the position on July 25 and that applications to date were limited; supervisors discussed using paid postings on additional job sites, reaching out directly to engineering contacts and considering a consultant or former county engineer to mentor or assist a newly hired applicant. MAPA staff in the meeting offered to check whether a consultant could fulfill certain federally required functions in the interim while a permanent hire is pursued.
Board members agreed to ask HR to expand recruitment, to provide a recommended salary range if appropriate and to return to the Board with a recruitment plan and potential interim staffing options. No candidate selection occurred at the meeting.
Why it matters: the county engineer directs secondary roads operations, contract execution, union/employee oversight and state DOT coordination; prolonged vacancy can delay projects and limit the county’s ability to accept and administer state or federal roadway funds.