Trumbull to fill $90,000 post

WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners listened to plenty of requests this week for additional employees to be hired in 2007, but one hiring that didn’t come up was for a county administrator in their own department.

The commissioners, whose own 2007 budget request of $6.2 million doesn’t get discussed during their budget hearings, seek $90,000 in 2007 to pay the salary, benefits and other costs for a county administrator.

Asked about this, Commissioners Dan Polivka and Paul Heltzel said they plan to start looking for a replacement for former administrator Tony Carson Jr. right away. Carson resigned July 26, and about 12 people have submitted unsolicited applications to fill the position already.

Heltzel added that the search conducted by Boardman Township in the fall for a township administrator might also yield some potential candidates, and commissioners plan to use some free services offered by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio as another way to announce the opening.

Heltzel and Polivka agreed that there is no need to spend money on a private employment company to get applicants, as the county did to hire Michael Dolhancryk to fill position as 911 director this fall.

Heltzel said the next administrator needs to be skilled in administration, finance and “knowing how to get along” with the commissioners, other elected officials and department heads.

He said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the person selected comes from the Ohio area because of moving expenses involved in relocating someone from farther away. Heltzel said he doesn’t necessarily think the person selected needs to be a native of Trumbull County.

“There could be some advantages to starting out fresh, because you haven’t built up any affiliations,” he said.

At the final budget hearing Wednesday, Auditor Adrian Biviano said he might need another employee this year to test fuel at the gas stations if some legislation is approved in Ohio requiring it.

Linda Cypert, the county’s information services director, listed $2.8 million worth of projects she hopes to carry out in 2007, such as purchase of computer hardware and software, video arraignment equipment and a communications tower.

In all, 26 departments and agencies requested $45.8 million. Biviano expects there to be about the same amount of money as last year available: $41 million.

When county planning commission director Alan Knapp presented his budget, the primary area of interest was not on the dollars he wanted in 2007 but in whether it might be Knapp’s last year in his position.

Knapp told commissioners he has 31 years of service with the county and is considering retirement sometime late in 2007. He said he would give commissioners plenty of time to find a replacement if he decides to leave.