Commissioners to review practice of contracts for elected officials after county survey

Commissioner John Alsop raised whether the county should continue the practice of entering contracts with certain elected officials — including the Probate Register, Probate Judge, Treasurer and Register of Deeds. Administrator Tim Curtis said he had polled several other counties and found Somerset appears to be the only county that has used contracts for these elected positions. Commissioners directed staff to schedule a workshop at the next meeting to examine the practice further.

The minutes record a policy question and a staff-supplied comparative assertion but contain no formal motion on the topic. Commissioners signaled interest in a workshop to explore legal, administrative and policy implications and to gather comparative information.