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County administrator outlines four recruitment paths, recommends HR-plus‑consultant approach
Summary
County Administrator Philip Smith Haines told commissioners his retirement timeline and presented four recruitment strategies for his successor, recommending a hybrid model using county HR plus a targeted consultant to handle outreach and vetting.
County Administrator Philip Smith Haines told the Saline County Board of Commissioners on May 27 that his employment agreement ends March 31, 2026 and that he intends to retire when eligible. He urged the commission to begin a recruitment process this fall if it wants a new administrator in place by April 1, 2026, and outlined four recruitment options: (1) in‑house promotion, (2) open recruitment handled entirely by county HR, (3) a full national executive search firm, and (4) a hybrid: county HR conducting internal administration and a smaller consultant to manage candidate outreach and initial vetting.
Haines recommended option four, citing cost and organizational capacity. He said national firms can cost $20,000–$40,000; he had solicited three proposals for targeted consultant work in the $9,000–$12,000 range. He explained statutory limits on executive‑session discussion of personnel (specific individuals require executive session; public discussion may cover process and timeline). Commissioners asked for more time to consider and asked staff to return with proposals and materials; no hiring decision was made at the meeting.
Haines noted the recruitment timeline: to have a contract in place by February 2026 requires beginning active recruitment in September 2025 to allow for RFPs, vendor selection and candidate interviews before the holiday season.
Commissioners signaled support for the HR+consultant approach but did not take a formal vote; staff was asked to develop materials and vendor scopes for formal consideration.
