Commissioners table Register of Deeds promotion request to review countywide precedent

Laurie Wazardi, McPherson County register of deeds, asked the board on July 21 to approve a personnel change notice (PCN) promoting the office deputy to a newly created chief deputy position with higher pay and responsibilities.

Wazardi told commissioners the deputy has taken on additional duties, including end-of-month training, new-employee training and front-office management, and that the deputy speaks multiple languages and holds a business degree. "She does all that training... she makes sure that they're getting trained," Wazardi said in support of the promotion.

Several commissioners said they valued the employee's work but wanted to consider countywide equity and precedent before approving a new pay grade. One commissioner noted that other county offices have created office-manager or senior-deputy positions and said the board should be cautious about setting precedent across departments.

A commissioner moved to table the PCN for one week; the motion was seconded and the board voted to table. Commissioners asked Wazardi to submit a marked-up job description showing specific changes from the deputy position to the proposed chief deputy role and to flag any additional responsibilities the employee now performs.

Ending: The PCN was tabled for one week to allow further discussion and comparison to other county positions; Wazardi said she would provide a highlighted job description and any further supporting details requested by the board.