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Public hearing held on converting auditor, treasurer and recorder positions to appointments; board pauses resolution
Summary
At a public hearing, county staff described the process and timeline for switching auditor, treasurer and recorder offices from elected to appointed; commissioners agreed to defer a final resolution to allow more public outreach and to avoid the impression of a premature decision.
Houston County commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed change to make the auditor, treasurer and recorder positions appointed rather than elected.
Brent (county staff) outlined the process and legal requirements, telling the board the county currently has two interim appointments filling those offices and that state statute allows counties to convert elected offices to appointed positions. He said the change requires an 80% majority vote of the board to adopt a resolution that would trigger a 30-day window during which 10% of registered voters could petition to stop the change and force the board to refer the question to voters.
"If you were to go through with this, you need an 80% majority vote, to have that referendum," Brent said, describing the petition process and the subsequent 30-day window. Staff said interim appointees would continue to serve through their current terms if the board ultimately votes to convert the offices.
Several commissioners expressed concern that the public had not received enough notice about the proposal and suggested postponing the board's resolution so citizens could be better informed. One commissioner asked whether there is a deadline to complete the action; staff said there was no set date. The board agreed to proceed with the public hearing on the record but to pull a specific action item (a board resolution) from that day's agenda so the matter would not appear as a completed decision in the minutes.
No formal board vote was taken to change the offices; the public hearing was opened and closed and staff will return with any next steps if the board pursues a resolution at a later meeting.
