Rutherford County outlines county manager hiring timeline and plan to use advisory services

Rutherford County commissioners discussed plans to begin a formal county manager recruitment this spring and to use outside advisory services to guide screening and interviewing.

Chair (speaker 1) said the county will post the manager job in May with an application closing "right after July 1" so the board can interview candidates while finalizing the fiscal year budget: "We're working on the posting of the job, posted in May, and with a drop dead date or application closing date, like, right after July 1 because we closed we passed our budget in July," the chair said.

The chair recommended engaging the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) strategic services to provide a third-party adviser to the board during the recruitment process; the adviser would not vote but would provide screening recommendations and help standardize interview questions. "They'll be advisers because they won't be voting," the chair said.

Some commissioners raised the possibility of hiring an interim manager sooner so incoming commissioners could have more direct influence on the selection. One commissioner (speaker 6) said they wanted an interim placed earlier so new members could participate; the chair and others countered that an interim hired for only a few months may not be desirable if a permanent replacement will be seated soon after.

Commissioners agreed new commissioners should be able to observe and submit input, even if they lack a formal vote in the hiring process. The board did not take a formal action to hire an interim manager during the workshop; members directed staff to finalize recruitment materials and bring the NCACC advisory option forward.