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Union County amends personnel policy to list board secretary and HR as reporting to commissioners
Summary
After extended debate about who supervises the board secretary, the Union County Board of Commissioners voted 4–1 May 4 to amend personnel policy so that the board secretary and the human-resources position are listed among employees who report directly to the board. The board also scheduled a public interview for the top candidate.
The Union County Board of Commissioners voted 4–1 on May 4 to amend the county’s personnel policy to explicitly list the board secretary and human-resources position among employees who report directly to the board.
Commissioner Jackson moved for the change after a prolonged exchange during which several commissioners and County Coordinator Jimmy Williams disagreed about whether the secretary historically reported to the board or to the coordinator’s office. Jackson said the board appointed a hiring committee and expected the board to make the final hiring decision for the secretary; he argued the reporting relationship should be clarified in policy.
"The committee has interviewed applicants and selected a candidate," Jackson said, arguing that the board should be able to review the committee’s top pick and hire if satisfied. Opponents warned that the change could create operational confusion about day-to-day supervision and said directors already navigate reporting to five commissioners.
Williams, the county coordinator, told the board he had tried to correct a misunderstanding as soon as it was raised and said the job description indicates the secretary "support[s] the Board of County Commissioners and Administrative Office," language Williams said had created confusion.
After debate, the board approved the amendment on a 4–1 vote. The board also set a public meeting for Thursday at 3:30 p.m. to interview the top candidate the hiring committee recommended; the candidate will appear before the board for final consideration.
The amendment is intended to place in writing a practice commissioners said had been used in the past; commissioners said further work will be needed to refine definitions in the personnel policy about which employees "report directly to the board" and to avoid conflicts with job descriptions.
The board did not provide additional details on the candidate selected by the committee beyond saying the person was the committee’s number-one pick and would appear at the scheduled Thursday meeting.
