Clayton News Daily

Photo by Heather Middleton

By Curt Yeomans

cyeomans@news-daily.com

The Clayton County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to deal with an ordinance to create a county manager position tonight, a week earlier than previously expected, according to a copy of the agenda for this evening's commission meeting.

A reading of the proposed ordinance that would create the county manager position was postponed during a commission meeting on July 5. At the time, the commission's Clerk, Shelby Haywood, said the proposed ordinance had to be properly advertised in the county's legal organ, the Clayton News Daily, before it could be brought up in a meeting.

A copy of the July 12 meeting agenda, that was released last Friday, shows the issue is scheduled to be discussed, and voted on, tonight.

"The Clayton County Board of Commissioners desires to create the position of county manager," the proposed ordinance states. It later states "the county manager shall be appointed by the board of commissioners."

Tonight's commission meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., in the boardroom at the Clayton County Board of Commissioner's office, at 112 Smith Street, in Jonesboro.

The agenda item for the ordinance states it is designed to create the "unclassified position of County Manager" in accordance with Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) -:- 36-5-22, which is the code section that allows county commissions to create county manager positions.

The county manager's duties would be "administrative in nature, and shall be determined by the board of commissioners, according to the ordinance. Those duties include making the county manager the department head for all employees in the Clayton County Board of Commissioners office, in Jonesboro.

If the law to create the position is approved, the county manager would have "oversight" in the hiring, and firing of the office's public relations specialist, office manager, administrative secretary, grant writing coordinator, constituent aides, the commission's clerk and assistant clerk, and Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell's administrative and executive assistants.

The full board of commissioners would also have direct supervision of the position, under one of provisions of the proposed act. "The county manager shall perform those duties under the daily direction of the board of commissioners, and shall perform such other duties as imposed upon him, or her, from time to time by action of the board of commissioners," the ordinance states.

Last week, Commission Vice-Chairman Wole Ralph said he felt the position was needed because he was unsatisfied with the way this year's budget approval process proceeded.

The commission is also scheduled to vote on several resolutions, including ones that would impose a 9-1-1 charge on prepaid wireless service at the "retail point of sale," and to trade an "unserviceable" 16-year old fire truck with the town of Oconee, in exchange for a 1975 Seagrave Custom Pumper.