Walker County, Georgia, commission discusses adding a county manager

A commission room full of residents showed up this past week to hear the Walker County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners discuss the possibility of hiring a county manager to help Chairman Shannon Whitfield administer his duties.

District 4 Commissioner Robert Stultz, who represents areas including Lookout Mountain, the Chattanooga Valley, Kensington, Center Post and West Brow, said he was frustrated by being stonewalled on government projects approved by the commission.

A year ago, the commission decided to combine animal control and the animal shelter, he said, but the action "was still sitting on the chair's desk." Stultz also said Whitfield didn't communicate with the board on the recent hiring of two employees.

"The board has been slow-walked on some things," said District 2 Commissioner Mark Askew, who represents areas in the middle portion of Walker County including Chickamauga.

Askew said he agreed that policy and procedures decided by the board haven't been implemented by Whitfield.

Whitfield previously handled the business of the county as its sole commissioner. Askew said he thinks Whitfield has had too much work to do since the sole commissioner governance model was replaced by a Board of Commissioners about a year and a half ago.

During Thursday's meeting streamed on social media, several speakers encouraged the commissioners to improve their communication and cooperation, saying they did not want to pay for another layer of government.

Asked directly by Askew if he intentionally slow-walked issues decided by the commission, Whitfield admitted to two instances in which he slowed progress for "people's protection and animals' protection."

Whitfield said when he first took office in Walker County, the shelter was euthanizing large numbers of animals. Over the course of his time on the commission, Whitfield said he had been able to turn the shelter into a facility that currently euthanizes fewer than 1% of the animals it takes in. When commissioners sought to replace the shelter manager, Whitfield said he slowed the process because he feared more animals would die.

(READ MORE: Due to increased volume, Walker County, Georgia, considering combining animal control and animal shelter)

The second issue was the county's planned takeover of the Rossville ballfields. When commissioners asked why that process was taking so long, Whitfield said it was taking longer than anticipated but pointed to a county task force working to figure out a plan for management and maintenance as the holdup.

Several board members and citizens testifying also complained about communication from Whitfield.

Ken Jarrard, an attorney with Jarrard & Davis in Forsythe County, gave a presentation to commissioners on the process involved in voting to allow a manager for Walker County. Jarrard said he works solely on local government issues for eight other counties, several cities and Walker County.

Of Georgia's 159 counties, Jarrard said, only 29 operate without a manager - and of those, only two have a population larger than Walker County's. With salary and compensation, Jarrard said, the county could expect to pay $100,000 per year for a county manager.

No decisions were made at Thursday's meeting, and Jarrard said the commission must address the county manager issue for two consecutive meetings before it can be passed, so citizens can weigh in on the decision. Another option would be to hire an administrative assistant for Walker County, rather than enacting a county manager position.

Whitfield said hiring an administrative assistant would be his preferred option.

During the public comment portion of Thursday's meeting, resident Janice Williams said some employees that have been hired are unqualified and said that's led to "catastrophic" results like the animal shelter being shut down by the health department.

Resident John Pope asked what the board would do if the county manager slow-walked the board. The chair has to be replaced by the voters, but Askew said a county manager could be fired if the board objects to slow-walking of projects.

Resident Stanley Jackson said Carroll County has industry and a university, but it doesn't have a county manager.

"If they can run a county, why the heck can't Walker County run a county without a county manager?" he asked.

Jackson also said if a county manager is hired, it would mean less work for the commissioners and they should be paid less.

Resident Stan Porter said he thinks there's been a failure to communicate.

"You need to work this out among yourselves, and we do not need to spend more money for an additional layer of government," Porter said.

Resident Richard Westbrook asked if the voters could vote on the county manager option.

Jarrard said county commissions cannot put provisions on the ballot, only the Georgia General Assembly could do that. Another option is a non-binding ballot question, he said, and that's something only state political parties can do.

(READ MORE: Primary ballot questions spotlight party priorities in Georgia)

Nathan England, of Chickamauga, said he didn't want to pay more taxes for more bureaucrats. He asked if the room was usually this full for commission meetings, and when he was told it usually is not, said he thinks more citizen involvement could be part of the solution.

Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.

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