Houston County amends job‑description template to add ‘reporting to county administrator’ for appointed department heads

The Houston County Board of Commissioners approved a blanket administrative change to appointed department head job descriptions to include reporting language that places day‑to‑day supervision under the county administrator while preserving the board's appointment authority.

Brent, who identified himself as the interim county administrator, presented the change as an administrative cleanup to clarify operational supervision. "This is just adding the wording for the county administrator within the hierarchy of the department heads," Brent said, describing the draft wording that the board reviewed.

Commissioners discussed concerns about future structural reviews and emphasized that appointment authority remains with the board. Several commissioners favored language that said department heads serve "under the direction of the county board" while day‑to‑day operations report to the county administrator; staff agreed that wording could be used.

The board voted to authorize staff to proceed with the administrative updates, subject to consistent wording across job descriptions and preserving statutory appointment processes for positions that are appointed by the board. Staff said finalized wording would be applied across appointed department head descriptions and that annual performance evaluations would be part of the county administrator's responsibilities under the new language.

No changes were made to elected positions or to the board's statutory appointment authority; this action was presented as an administrative step to ensure consistent supervision language in job descriptions.