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Commissioners move toward hiring HR consultant under contract, council to appropriate funds
Summary
Owen County commissioners said they will contract for human-resources services rather than create an in‑house position, with a likely cost cap discussed at $50,000 and a council appropriation to follow.
Owen County commissioners said Monday they plan to hire human-resources services through a contract rather than creating a full-time county position and that the county council has tentatively set aside $50,000 for the work.
Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said the county’s personnel policy is outdated and inconsistent across departments. They said an outside HR contractor could draft a consolidated personnel policy, implement training, and manage HR issues more quickly than recruiting and onboarding a permanent staff member.
Details: County staff said the work will include rewriting and condensing the personnel handbook for clarity and consistency, advising on insurance and benefits, and providing on-call HR support. Commissioners clarified they expect the contract to be “not to exceed” a dollar amount and to be overseen by the commissioners with oversight from the council and auditor to avoid budget overruns.
Timeline and next steps: Staff and commissioners said the county attorney will re-contact the selected firm and work to finalize a contract; the council will consider the appropriation at its next meeting. Commissioners suggested the contract could be in place by the June 19 meeting if negotiations and council action proceed on schedule.
Ending: Commissioners said the contracted HR service will focus first on personnel‑policy modernization and indemnifying daily HR decisions, with the aim of reducing recurring legal and payroll problems that they said have arisen without dedicated HR oversight.
