Opinion: Misconceptions about role of county administrator abound

By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com

In discussing whether or not the Linn County government would benefit from having a county administrator, many of the residents I’ve talked to are against the idea. Some of them see it as an unnecessary expense, and others believe it will be a position that would be similar to a governor or the president with executive powers and they don’t want that person to override the wishes of the commission.

Neither one of those perceptions is correct. The basic tasks of an administrator would be to bring information together for the commissioners, discuss the options the county has in dealing with problems, and guide the commissioners through their decision-making processes.

Whereas once the commission’s greatest task was making sure the roads were maintained, commissioners now deal with a myriad of other issues: meals for seniors, mental health, programs for the developmentally disabled, housing, attracting or turning away new business, land use and misuse – the list goes on.

Too often we see commissioners bring their own sets of “facts” to the table, and those facts may or may not mesh with “facts” their fellow commissioners present. An experienced county administrator will be certain to do a better job of gathering the necessary facts and options, including the pros and cons of each side, to help commissioners make sound decisions.

School districts have superintendents that help local school boards with that process. Like schools districts in Linn County, the county government is a multi-million dollar business that needs a trained professional helping the commissioners make decisions.

At the same time, an experienced county administrator can help buffer tense situations in meetings, situations we have seen way to much of in the past year or so.

Former county counselor Gary Thompson, while he was never charged with doing so, essentially acted as a county administrator before he left abruptly earlier this year. As an attorney/administrator, he helped guide the commission through some tough decisions and acted as the county agent for the construction of the Justice Center.

County clerks, including current Clerk David Lamb, have over the past few decades been unofficial administrators as well. However, the clerk’s job has become more consuming over the years, and spending more time doing administrative duties is not in the cards.

While a county administrator’s work might not pay for his or her salary completely, expert guidance of an experienced administrator would likely go a long way in making county government more effective, more efficient, and less costly.

However, the administrator of a neighboring county warned that the administrator position only works if all of the commissioners buy into it. Especially with a three-member commission, if even one commissioner is not willing to work with an administrator, creating that position could create more problems than it would solve.