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Director Bonner to retire in July; board debates hiring process and committee structure
Summary
Director Bonner announced his intent to retire at the end of July. Board members discussed options for hiring his replacement, weighing public interviews by the full authority versus a small screening committee and asking HR to provide an updated job description before next meeting.
Director Bonner told the Coffee County Ambulance Authority he plans to retire at the end of July, prompting an extended discussion about how the authority should recruit and select his successor.
"It is my intent to retire end of July," Bonner said. Board members then debated whether the whole authority should interview candidates publicly (the approach used when Bonner was hired) or whether a smaller committee should screen a large applicant pool and recommend finalists. Several members emphasized that the director is a public position and favored public interviews for finalists; others said a subcommittee could narrow a large number of applicants to a manageable shortlist.
"We do appreciate your decade plus, 13 years of experience leading," one committee member said in thanking Bonner for his service. Members discussed including HR and selected community partners on any screening panel, deciding that HR should supply the current job description and minimum qualifications for review. The board agreed to request the current job description from HR and to revisit committee formation and shortlist criteria at the next meeting rather than take immediate action at the June session.
Key points raised included whether the position requires a paramedic certification or whether experienced AMTs should be eligible, how long a posting must stay open under county rules, whether names of applicants become public at the interview stage, and how to protect candidate comfort without sacrificing transparency. No formal vote was taken on committee composition at the June meeting; members deferred final decisions until they receive HR documentation and gauge how many applicants respond once the position is posted.
