Delta County lays out timeline and committee steps to hire administrator; commissioners debate splitting controller and HR duties

Delta County commissioners on April 24 set a timetable and committee assignments to fill the county administrator position and discussed reorganizing administrative functions, including whether to split controller and human resources duties from the administrator role.

The board agreed that the personnel committee will review and update job descriptions for the administrator and controller, finance will evaluate salary ranges, and the board will then proceed to post the position. Commissioners set initial process milestones: a personnel meeting to review job descriptions on May 15 at 9:00 a.m., a finance review to be scheduled the week of May 5, posting targeted for May 7–8, and initial application review beginning May 19 so committee interviews can be scheduled after the board’s May 20 regular meeting. The board discussed that the county's 60-day window tied to the current administrator’s notice would make June 23 an important target date.

Why it matters: the administrator role was carrying multiple functions in recent years (controller, HR oversight and administrator duties). Commissioners debated restoring a separate controller, keeping HR with the administrator, or otherwise restructuring to reduce single-person dependency.

Key points of discussion

- Separation of duties: Multiple commissioners said combining controller and HR with the administrator has repeatedly proved problematic; others noted the administrator traditionally oversees HR without performing every clerical HR task. Several commissioners supported recruiting a dedicated controller, leaving HR supervision with the administrator and allowing the incoming administrator flexibility to recommend structural changes after onboarding.

- Staffing realities: Commissioners and staff flagged recruitment difficulty and cost considerations. The board repeatedly emphasized it wants a practical, implementable organizational plan and that any recommendation to split duties should return to the board for approval.

- Posting and review process: The board asked staff to post the job on the county website, Michigan Works, and broader job boards (for example, Indeed) and to use the same scoring rubric used in recent searches for the airport; commissioners asked that commission members receive a first tranche of applications for review 10 days after posting so a committee-of-the-whole interview schedule can be set.

- Interview format: Commissioners discussed offering a virtual option for the first round but noted the committee should decide whether all first-round interviews are virtual or allow candidates to choose; the board agreed the first-round format should be consistent across candidates.

Decisions and next steps

- Personnel committee will update the administrator and controller job descriptions (personnel meeting scheduled May 15 at 9:00 a.m.).

- Finance committee to review the proposed salary ranges (available for a meeting the week of May 5). The board planned to add the job descriptions to the May 6 agenda to permit posting May 7–8.

- The board set a target to begin formal application review May 19 and for a committee-of-the-whole to schedule interviews after the May 20 regular meeting; posting will remain "until filled" but the commission asked staff to forward application batches to commissioners on the May 19 review date for scoring.

What the board did not decide

The board did not adopt a final organizational structure. Commissioners asked the incoming administrator — once hired — to evaluate internal structure and recommend whether HR should be a separate full-time position or remain under the administrator’s supervision, with any structural change to be returned to the board for approval.

Ending note

Commissioners emphasized speed and thoroughness: they want job descriptions and salary review completed quickly so posting and interviews proceed in time to respect the county’s notice timelines and staffing needs.