Sumner County hires Sumter Group to run finance director search; committee votes down RFQ for backup contract labor

Sumner County’s financial management committee on Jan. 7 confirmed work with Sumter Group to run the county’s finance director recruitment but rejected a motion to pre‑qualify short‑term contract finance labor as a contingency.

Chair Terry Boyd said she had invited Sumter Group to present and to help accelerate the county’s search after a prior candidate withdrew. The Sumter representative, Warren, joined by phone and described a typical recruitment sequence: develop a candidate profile and marketing materials, open targeted advertising including a 30,000‑name public‑sector email list, allow an initial three‑week review period, score resumes with an objective matrix, provide recorded screening interviews, and present semifinalists for local interviews. "It takes about 6 to 7 weeks" to deliver a screened pool of candidates under the firm’s standard process, Warren said, adding there are ways to speed up steps if needed.

Committee members pressed Sumter about timing and salary range. Warren recommended narrowing the advertised hiring range to avoid mismatched expectations and said the firm would provide market research on pay at no additional cost.

Separately, Chair Boyd proposed issuing an RFQ to pre‑qualify contract finance professionals as a temporary backup for budgeting and revenue work while the search proceeds. "My motion would be to have a backup plan and put out an RFQ and see what we get," Boyd said. Commissioners debated whether contracting would duplicate in‑house efforts, how quickly an interim could be onboarded, and whether contracted rates would actually be cheaper than full salary and benefits. Staff described potential hourly ranges from about $50 to $90 depending on skill level and suggested short engagements could be arranged by the hour or for limited days.

The committee took a voice vote on the RFQ motion. After members voiced opposition, the chair announced, "Motion fails," leaving the county without a formal contingency contract in place.

What’s next: Sumter Group will work with county staff on a kickoff meeting expected Jan. 23 to finalize the candidate profile and advertisement; staff said a draft advertisement and brochure should be ready for review by about Jan. 30. The committee set a placeholder follow‑up meeting for Feb. 5 to review drafts and outstanding items.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript. The committee’s decision on the RFQ was a voice vote without a recorded roll call; no contract award or hiring decision was taken at this meeting.