The Palm Beach County Inspector General Committee on Jan. 8 approved a draft job description for the county's next inspector general and authorized Human Resources to immediately advertise the vacancy, with an application window of roughly 15 business days that HR expects will close Jan. 30.

Paul Matioto, the county recruitment manager, told the committee the department could "have it out tomorrow" and proposed targeted outreach that would include the county website, Indeed and the Association of Inspectors General, as well as an IG-specific submission address (IGrecruitmentpbc dot gov) to accept resumes, cover letters and salary requirements.["We could have it out tomorrow."]

The committee acted by voice vote to approve the job description after a motion by Commissioner Coogler and a second by Commissioner Vara Garcia. The committee also agreed to a posting period the group described as 15 business days after discussion about whether a shorter, two-week posting would give candidates adequate time.

The recruitment timeline reflects the committee's need to replace the current inspector general, whom HR said is expected to leave in June. Matioto outlined the hiring steps the committee should expect: resume review, candidate selection, interviews, contract negotiations and eventual board approval.

HR said it will perform an initial triage of incoming materials and deliver two stacks of resumes to the committee after the closing date: one stack with applicants who meet the stated minimum qualifications and another with applicants who do not, allowing the committee to review all submissions while expediting initial screening. The county attorney's office advised that, under the ordinance governing the Inspector General, all resumes must be forwarded to the commission rather than screened out entirely by staff. "All resumes do need to be forwarded to the commission. That's in the ordinance," counsel said.

The committee discussed minimum and preferred qualifications. HR confirmed the minimum requirements mirror the prior posting (a bachelor's degree and 10 years of relevant experience) and recommended keeping certain credentials as preferred rather than raising them to minimums so as not to create application barriers; the county attorney advised treating some credentials as a bonus to avoid violating the ordinance.

The committee set a follow-up meeting for Feb. 5 to begin narrowing candidates, tentatively scheduled shortly after the Ethics Commission meeting that day. HR said it will send both stacks of resumes after the advertisement closes and will continue initial triage as applications arrive.

The special meeting also opened with routine business: the committee approved the Nov. 6, 2025 meeting minutes by voice vote before taking up the hiring process. The meeting was then adjourned.