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Owen County leaders move to create HR administrator role, consider outside firm
Summary
Commissioners and council members discussed creating a human resources administrator to handle personnel, insurance and drug testing; they favored starting with a part-time or contract arrangement and asked staff to return with a job description and cost estimates by March.
Owen County commissioners and members of the county council discussed establishing a human resources administrator position on Jan. 23, saying county employees need an independent point of contact for personnel issues, benefits and drug testing.
Commissioners and council members said the county should start conservatively — either hiring a part-time employee who would be on site or contracting with an outside HR firm — and develop a job description, a funding plan and an initial hour estimate before committing to a full-time hire. The conversation centered on whether to retain an outside firm at the outset and “grow into” a full-time county employee later once the county better understands the workload and service needs.
Supporters said the role should be separate from the county attorney and commissioners. “It is not the attorney's responsibility,” one commissioner said, adding that the HR administrator would also handle insurance and drug testing functions now scattered among departments. Several participants said the county’s health department must not perform drug testing for county employees to avoid conflicts.
Council and commissioners asked county staff to measure current workloads in payroll and non-payroll HR tasks and to report back with an hour estimate and a proposed scope. Officials suggested a starter budget figure in the low tens of thousands — one council member proposed an initial placeholder of $25,000–$30,000 for contract services — with the expectation the expense could be evaluated and adjusted after an initial contract period.
The board directed staff to: draft a job description or contract scope; consult the county auditor on hours currently spent on HR tasks; identify funding sources (including council legal line items and commissioner funds); and return with estimates by the first meeting in March. Commissioners said they prefer a conservative start — part time or contract — and emphasized the need for an on-site presence if possible.
The board and council also agreed to invite a retired HR administrator familiar with similar county operations to consult with the board and staff before the March meeting.
The discussion was advisory; no formal hiring decision was made at the meeting.
