County manager recruitment ad nearly published prematurely

By Lisa Majors-Duff

An advertisement to recruit a professional county manager has been drafted and was nearly published by mistake. Current county Manager and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Jay Denton passed out copies of the ad during last week's (Feb. 1) meeting. In addition to a list of qualifications sought, the ad has instructions from its author, Kurt Jenne of the Institute of Government, to be published in two magazines distributed statewide to officials in county governments.

Though the request for advertising space was placed prior to the approval of the board, Denton said Tuesday that the ads did not run and will not run until a final draft is approved.

As drafted by Jenne, the ad "[seeks] first appointed manager to serve five-member board of commissioners in Western North Carolina. Community seeking to develop infrastructure, regional cooperation and conservation of scenic environment. Develop zoning ordinance from comprehensive plan now nearing completion. Promote regional cooperation and economic development."

The ad goes on to say that candidates must have earned a bachelor's degree and that a master's degree is preferred. A minimum of five years experience is also sought. Candidates should also have "good fiscal and managerial skills [and] experience in land use planning in rural areas."

The draft will be revised and brought back to the board for review, Denton said.

Also at last week's meeting, Denton reported that an employee classification and salary study has been undertaken and is expected to be completed by early June. The new numbers needed for this year's budget process will be ready by April, he said.

In addition to these numbers, officials with the Local Government Commission have received the county's latest audit and will make a recommendation to the Department of Public Instruction as to the county's eligibility for Qualified Zone Academy Bonds. County and school officials are waiting to hear if they are eligible for some $1.17 million in interest-free federal funds to renovate Smoky Mountain High School's media center.

Denton also reported on the progress of two capital improvement projects - the jail and the former Western Builders site. A pre-construction meeting with the architect and the contractors working on the jail project was held Jan. 26. Work on the jail is set to begin Wednesday, Feb. 14, starting with an expansion of the Justice Center parking areas. County grounds crews have been preparing for the work to start by relocating shrubbery, he said.

A meeting was also held with Lee Architectural to finalize plans for remodeling the former Western Builders headquarters into the new site for the county's Soil and Water Conservation Office and the N.C. Cooperative Extension. Bids for this work should be received by early March, Denton said.

Appearing before the board, former Superintendent of Schools Charles McConnell, who was instrumental in the creation of the New Century Scholars program, requested funding of $18,498 to create an additional 37 scholarships for those Jackson County students who wish to attend Southwestern Community College. Currently 55 New Century Scholarships are available through funding from individuals, businesses and local government, McConnell said.

"Due to the projections for increased enrollment, it is anticipated that if 38 percent of future graduating classes choose to enroll at SCC, the number attending will be approximately 92 each year," he said.

As described by McConnell, New Century Scholars are those students who - in the opinion of their teachers, counselors and administrators - have the academic ability to be successful at SCC but would probably not receive any type of academic scholarship. These students need extra support to stay on track with their studies, he said, and as a group they are not major discipline problems or potential high-risk dropouts.

"This is the best endeavor I've ever gotten involved in during my years in education," McConnell said. "And not one dime of this money goes to anything other than the students."

The board agreed to consider the request for funding at their budget retreat Friday, March 2. Board members also agreed to forward a request for maintenance on Cook Road (SR 1712) to the Department of Transportation. The original resolution was adopted in May 1994 but never delivered to the DOT.

With the safety of county employees in mind, commissioners adopted the Jackson County Office Safety Plan, which outlines rules for noise, electrical safety, housekeeping, computer terminals, lighting, indoor air quality and waste disposal.

Before adjourning the meeting, Chairman Denton announced the following upcoming meetings: Tuesday, Feb. 13 - Smart Growth in Qualla at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 15 - Joint meeting with county municipalities at Justice Center at 5 p.m.; regular board meeting at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Emergency services awards dinner at Western Carolina University at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 27 - Smart Growth in Cullowhee at 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 1 - Regular board meeting at Justice Center at 7 p.m.

Friday, March 2 - Budget planning retreat at Mica's restaurant at 8 a.m.

Back to Archive: 02/08/01.