Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hart County splits on new recreation program-director role as commissioners weigh pay-grade and supervisory issues
Summary
Commissioners debated whether to convert existing recreation vacancies into a supervisory 'program director' post and whether to fill two current openings immediately; concerns centered on unclear pay grade, supervisory duties at the same grade as subordinates, fingerprint/background tasks in the draft description, and mid-year budget implications.
The Hart County Board of Commissioners spent a prolonged portion of its March 24 meeting debating a proposed recreation program-director job description and whether to fill two currently open recreation positions now or wait until the budget cycle.
Jim Owens, the county's recreation director, described program needs and said the department is short-staffed during the season. Commissioners questioned elements of the draft job description: several members objected to language that would have an hourly-level hire performing background/fingerprint checks and to a plan that would leave a supervisory role at the same pay grade as staff it would supervise.
"We need to hold off. We need to do it right," one commissioner said, urging that the supervisory responsibilities and pay grade be clarified before creating a new position. Others argued that delaying could leave the department scrambling next spring when soccer and flag-football programs ramp up. The board settled on a compromise: allow the department to fill two currently approved, vacant recreation associate positions now (using existing pay grades) and adopt a revised program-director job description after removing problematic language and clarifying supervisory scope; the newly revised description will be revisited at budget time for pay-grade and structural changes.
The discussion touched on safety and operational concerns (e.g., supervision of field prep, volunteer coaches, and program staff). Commissioners and staff agreed to remove the requirement that an hourly hire perform fingerprint/background verifications and to return with a cleaned job description and a recommended pay grade at the next budget cycle.
Why it matters: the county's recreation offerings and field maintenance depend on adequate seasonal staffing; commissioners emphasized careful job-definition and consistent pay grading to avoid morale or legal issues.
