County administrator qualifications set

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February 22, 2012

Jeffry Boatright Suwannee Democrat The Suwannee Democrat Wed Feb 22, 2012, 03:09 PM EST

Live Oak — After months of debate and contention, the qualifications have been set for the position of the new Suwannee County administrator.

Suwannee County commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday night to adopt an ordinance amending the organizational structure of the county government by providing for the appointment and qualifications of the county administrator.

The administrator, who will be appointed by the board and serve at the pleasure of the board, is to hold an executive position reporting to the commissioners, according to the ordinance. The person selected will be responsible for the administration and overall management of all departments and employees including, but not limited to public works, fire and rescue, building maintenance and custodial, administrative services, protective inspection, airport, code enforcement and planning and zoning. He or she will prepare and monitor administrative procedures and the staffing structure.

The experience and qualification guidelines for the position has arguably been the most controversial aspect in adopting an ordinance for the position that will have an annual salary range of $80,000 to $100,000. District 1 Commissioner Jesse Caruthers and District 3 Commissioner Ivie Fowler have been vocal in their opposition of not requiring position candidates to hold, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree.

According to the experience and training guidelines in the county administrator’s job description, the candidate qualifications call for a bachelor’s degree or a minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible, successful upper-level management, preferably in local government.

According to Board of County Commissioners Attorney Hal Airth, the ordinance will not become effective for 10 days. The board then discussed advertising the position for 30 days and agreed to act on advertising during its next scheduled meeting.

Caruthers and Fowler voted against the measure while District 2 Commissioner Clyde Fleming, District 4 Commissioner Philip Oxendine and District 5 Commissioner Wesley Wainwright voted in favor.

“I’m not going to work against it, but my opposition is that we needed to consolidate more and I was opposed to the education requirement,” Caruthers told the board.

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