Hampton County council votes to hire consultant for county administrator search and approve interim appointment

The Hampton County council approved two motions to advance its search for a permanent county administrator and to provide interim leadership while that search proceeds.

Councilman Thompson moved to retain a consulting firm named in the motion as "Parker poll" to advertise for the county administrator position; the motion was seconded and approved by raised hands, with no opposition or abstentions recorded in the transcript. Thompson then moved to sign an agreement with a firm referred to in the meeting as "Parkland o" to provide an interim county administrator during the hiring process; that motion was also approved.

The council clarified scheduling: members agreed the interim appointment should begin May 12. They also agreed to start advertising and the search on or by June 1; a brief exchange included an alternative reference to May 29 before participants settled on June 1. The motions were restated with the two dates added before the vote.

The motions as recorded in the meeting diary were carried by voice/raised-hand approval; the transcript records no roll-call tallies or named yes/no votes. No amendments to the motions were recorded.

The council returned from executive session, which the chair said had addressed a personnel matter concerning the interim county administrator and the search for a permanent administrator. The meeting ended after an adjournment motion was made and approved.

The transcript contains minor inconsistencies in the names of the firms referenced in the motions (the consulting firm is called "Parker poll" in one passage and a separate firm is referred to as "Parkland o" elsewhere). The council did not provide detailed contract amounts or a named interim appointee in the recorded discussion; those details were not specified in the transcript.