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Johnson County Council declines coroner’s request to blend administrative and field deputy duties
Summary
After lengthy debate about county policy and pay classifications, the council voted to decline Coroner Michael Pruitt’s request to revise an office manager/administrative deputy job description to include field deputy‑coroner duties; members cited policy and pay‑scale concerns.
The Johnson County Council voted Dec. 8 to decline Coroner Michael Pruitt’s request to reclassify an administrative position so that the office manager could also serve as a field deputy coroner.
Pruitt told the council the change was intended to create flexibility in emergency situations, to allow an administrative deputy who has attended deputy‑coroner school to respond to scenes when needed and to avoid paying unauthorized overtime. “We’ve used her in death investigations and I needed to get this cleaned up as we move into the new year,” Pruitt said.
Council members pressed Pruitt on several points: whether the county needed the dual classification given a roster of 12 part‑time deputy coroners, how the office would be managed when the administrative employee was in the field, and whether combining a salaried administrative position with a part‑time, per‑run deputy role conforms with county policy and past practice. “Our policies don’t support the blending of administrative classifications with field or sworn positions,” said Councilmember Pamela Burton, who moved to decline the request. Burton and other members said the county’s compensation structure treats the two functions differently and that combining them raises legal and payroll issues.
Several council members echoed concerns that the change would tailor a job description to an individual rather than following consistent county classification practice. “We don’t tailor job descriptions to fit one individual,” Burton said. Other members said they understood the coroner’s operational need but were constrained by consistency and potential legal exposure.
After extended discussion, Burton made a motion to decline the coroner’s reclassification request; Jonathan T. Myers seconded. The council recorded a roll‑call vote and approved the motion to decline. The coroner’s request for reclassification was therefore denied.
Following the vote, council members asked staff and the county attorney to review and correct discrepancies between job titles in the budget/accounting system and the official job descriptions and to bring a clarified title and any necessary changes back for council consideration in January.
What’s next: The council instructed staff to work with the county attorney to clean up titles and align budget account descriptions and job descriptions; the coroner may resubmit a request consistent with county policies and classification rules if needed.
