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Commissioners approve finance appointments; administrators say new CFO intends to relocate within six months
Summary
Public commenters and commissioners questioned a non-fair contract hire and a residency waiver for the county’s new chief financial officer. County staff said the intention is for the CFO to move into the county within six months and that the waiver in the resolution allows time for relocation.
Concerns about a non fair-and-open contract award and a residency waiver for a newly hired county chief financial officer drew public comment and questions from commissioners during the Dec. 12 Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners meeting.
A public commenter, Fair Moore, asked why a particular attorney was being hired under a non fair-and-open professional-services contract and raised concerns about political donations and the appearance of hiring from outside the county, saying the hire appeared “a little irregular” because the appointee lived “a hundred miles out of the county.”
County staff responded that two related resolutions (Resolution 2024-8-11 appointing Jeffrey Ridgeway as acting chief financial officer and Resolution 2024-8-14 appointing a chief financial officer and waiving the residency requirement) were intended to allow the appointee time to relocate. A county staff member identified during the exchange as Paige said, “it is not the intention to have a CFO either telecommute or commute from Warren County… The intent is the plan would be for him to move to the area.”
Paige also told the board that the hiring process attracted 10 applications, “2 of the applications were extremely impressive,” and that the selected candidate was judged most qualified on the basis of experience and character.
Several commissioners pressed for clarity on the residency waiver’s term. Commissioner Roberts noted the resolution’s language allows a waiver and said he favored a six-month expectation that the employee relocate; county staff confirmed the offer letter includes a six-month expectation to move into the county, though the waiver language in the resolution itself does not specify a time limit.
Why it matters: waivers of residency for high-ranking county positions generate public interest because they affect locality of hiring and perceptions about patronage. County officials framed the waiver as temporary and said the administration expects the CFO to relocate in short order.
Actions and resolutions
- Resolution 2024-8-11 — Appoint Jeffrey Ridgeway as acting chief financial officer for Cumberland County. (Included in the consent package and approved by the board.) - Resolution 2024-8-14 — Appoint chief financial officer and waive residency requirement. (Adopted as part of the consent package.)
Both resolutions were included in the omnibus consent adoption recorded for Dec. 12.
Ending: Commissioners closed discussion and adopted the resolutions as part of the consent vote; several members reiterated their interest in ensuring new senior hires establish local residency within the period discussed during the meeting.
