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Commissioners adopt outline for county administrator duties; HR to draft job description
Summary
Commissioners debated the scope of a proposed county administrator role—whether it should be 'chief administrative officer' or a coordinating manager—and voted to adopt an outline of duties. Human Resources will produce a formal job description and org chart updates for a future meeting.
Commissioners discussed and voted to adopt an outline describing the duties of a proposed county administrator at the May 4 meeting.
Elizabeth Ward, the county human resources director (speaker 2), presented draft language and an organizational chart that placed the new administrator reporting directly to the board while coordinating administrative services for most departments. Commissioners debated two models: one aligning with statutory language that describes the administrator as the county’s chief administrative officer, and a narrower coordinating model in which the board retains hiring and disciplinary authority for appointed department heads.
Several commissioners said they preferred a coordinating model that preserves the board’s ultimate authority over personnel decisions; one commissioner favored language that clarified coordination rather than full managerial control. County counsel and staff noted that state statute (K.S.A. 19-3-804, cited during the discussion) uses the phrase "chief administrative officer," but that the board can tailor the administrator’s duties.
After discussion the board moved to adopt the outline for the administrator’s duties. Commissioners voted in favor; HR was directed to draft a formal job description, return with a to‑do list of implementation steps, and circulate an updated organizational chart. HR also will provide the draft position description and a prioritized list of additional deliverables for the board to review before the next meeting.
What happens next: HR will draft the job description and a list of implementation tasks for the next work session; the board will review and decide whether to post the position and finalize reporting relationships.
