January 23, 2015
Panel formed to find budget post candidate
The Cortland County Legislature on Thursday approved forming a committee to start interviewing candidates for the director of budget and finance position created in December.
The move was approved by a 16-1vote. Legislator Amy Cobb (D-LD2) was absent and counted as a no vote.
The special committee will comprise Legislature Chair Susan Briggs (R-Cortlandville), and Legislators Mary Ann Discenza (D-LD6), Luke Snyder (I-LD5), George Wagner (R-Marathon and Lapeer) and Kevin Whitney(R-Cortlandville).
Briggs said during session Thursday night that the legislators have not decided yet whether a county administrator position should be filled. But she said officials would like to get a budget director hired first before making any other decisions.
Legislator John Troy (D-LD1) said during Democratic caucus before Thursday’s session that a county administrator would be important for managing daily operations with department heads but having a budget and finance director would be an asset as well.
“I’m not going to be a block in the process,” Troy said.
Legislator Tom Hartnett (D-LD3) also said in caucus he is on the fence about whether a county administrator is needed and feels the extra money put into the budget was too much.
“I feel we’re trying to entice (someone) with more money,” Hartnett said regarding the extra $50,000 put into the 2015 budget in the county administrator’s line. “It’s a whole lot of money.”
Briggs said this morning the money added to the county administrator’s line will be used when a director of budget and finance is hired, adding she does not know what the person will be paid exactly because there is a salary range.
She also said she does not know whether extra money would be added to that budget line to hire a county administrator in addition to the budget and finance director because the Legislature has not decided if the administrator should be full-time or part-time, or whether an administrator should even be hired.
The Legislature would like to start the process as soon as possible so the position is filled in time to prepare for the 2016 budget.
Briggs said after session that four applications have been received and she wants to start the interviewing process as soon as possible.
Briggs also said in previous interviews with the Cortland Standard there is no timeline for when she would like to hire a director of budget and finance.
The county posted the director of budget and finance job on Dec. 19. The job could carry a salary up to $95,172.
“We would like to be proactive and start interviewing,” Briggs said.
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