Commission moves one project‑management slot to mayor’s office, keeps grant and coordination roles in finance

At a Sumner County Commission meeting, commissioners voted to move one project‑management position from the finance department to the county mayor’s office while keeping the grant‑writing and project‑coordination slots under finance.

The change follows months of debate about how project work had been organized after the county added positions to handle grant writing, RFP/RFQ drafting and field oversight tied in part to opioid‑abatement funding. Supporters of the move argued that placing a field‑facing project manager under the mayor improves oversight of county buildings and gives the mayor direct authority over someone responsible for verifying work in the field. "It's my name that goes on that. I need to have oversight of that," the county mayor said during the discussion.

Opponents and other commissioners pushed back on titles and scope, saying that the existing roles were a mix of duties. One commissioner said staff currently performed mostly administrative coordination and suggested the title be changed: "These people are in no way whatsoever a project manager…They may be a project coordinator," the commissioner said.

After debate, a commissioner offered an amendment to split functions: the grant writer and a project‑coordinator would remain in finance and one project‑manager position would move under the mayor's budget, with the mayor having hiring authority for that vacancy. Commissioners also voted to suspend hiring a third proposed position until further review of workload and need. The motions were approved by voice vote.

The commission did not record individual roll‑call tallies in the transcript; outcomes were announced by voice and described as carrying unanimously for the principal motions. Commissioners asked staff to clarify job descriptions, physical location, and reporting lines before new hires and to ensure clear division of duties between "project coordinator" (administrative/RFP work) and the field project manager (implementation oversight). The body also discussed the existing list of open projects (about 17) and whether that volume justifies three full positions; staff said some projects will conclude by year‑end but that other projects are anticipated.

Next steps recorded in the meeting included directing staff to place the mayor’s‑budgeted position slot in the mayor’s budget and to return with details on vacancies and precise job scopes so the commission can confirm hiring or further adjustments.