Rockbridge County hires Berkeley Group to run county administrator search; sets September interviews and $180,000–$220,000 salary range

The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors on June 30 engaged the Berkeley Group to lead its search for a new county administrator and reviewed a compressed hiring timetable that would aim for a contract approval in October and a start date before the end of the year.

Kim Payne, the Berkeley Group manager presenting to the board, said the consultant firm will screen applicants, perform third-party reference and background checks, and assemble information for the board to review. "This is your recruitment. It is your hire. We are merely here as a Berkeley Group to help you through the process," Payne said.

Why it matters: The county is replacing County Administrator Spencer (who has informed the board of his retirement) and the hire will determine the manager who implements board policy and oversees operations including emergency management, purchasing and acting as clerk to the board. Board members emphasized the need for a candidate who will fit Rockbridge’s small-community culture and be willing to live in the county within a short period after hire.

Key timeline and process details: Payne said he plans to deliver a draft recruitment profile promptly, with a target public release by Aug. 3 and an initial application cutoff around Sept. 4. The Berkeley Group will conduct 30-minute Zoom screening interviews the week of Sept. 7, then provide the board a spreadsheet summarizing every applicant and the screening impressions. The board will meet to review recommended candidates the week of Sept. 14 and is likely to hold a full day of on-site finalist interviews in the last week of September. Payne said his goal is for the board to approve a contract in October so a new administrator might begin by Thanksgiving or, at latest, early next year.

On confidentiality: Payne stressed protecting candidates’ confidentiality until late in the process and said the Berkeley Group will run reference checks and background investigations. He asked the board to refrain from individual reference searches that might compromise applicants.

Role and expectations for the new administrator: The recruitment profile will state that the county administrator also serves as director of emergency management, clerk to the board and purchasing agent. Payne noted department-head engagement is optional; board members agreed to consider a brief, anonymous questionnaire to staff limited to direct reports to inform interview questions without granting staff ownership of the hiring decision.

Compensation: Payne and board members discussed a target salary range for the position. Payne recommended a salary range of roughly $180,000 to $220,000, noting that total compensation (car allowance, deferred compensation, benefits) will be part of final negotiations. "When we make an offer, an initial offer, a verbal offer, we're going to need to have some sense of what that compensation package looks like," Payne said.

Board response and next steps: Supervisors asked for a copy of the county’s annexation/revenue-sharing agreement with Lexington and for high-resolution photos for the recruitment packet. Payne said he would circulate a draft recruitment profile and expected a short comment window; silence would be treated as consent to release. The board then recessed into a closed session for personnel matters.

The Berkeley Group’s presentation and the board’s parameters set the schedule for an accelerated search with screening in September and a likely decision in October; the recruitment profile will be publicly posted once the board has reviewed and approved the language.