Cape Girardeau County Commission interviews for part-time assistant position

Cape Girardeau County commissioners are looking for a little help.

On Thursday morning, commissioners spent more than an hour behind closed doors interviewing a potential candidate to become a part-time assistant, a post commissioners want to create to deal with road easements, grant funding and other policy issues.

Commissioners already employ an administrative assistant, Donna Oldham, who keeps the minutes, and handles the paperwork, filing and indexing of their work.

"This is not a county administrator," Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said. "it is a staff assistant."

Commissioners included $30,000 in their 2007 budget for "easement contracts." That is where they will find the money to pay the assistant, Jones said.

Commissioners did not disclose the name of the person they interviewed and met with the person in closed session.

A draft of the duties for the new position include:

• Complete all application packets for the county road paving program that are currently on file.
• Coordinate the county's interest in the East Main interchange project, including intergovernmental agreements, intersection development, tax issues and outer roads.
• Complete the stormwater retention ordinance in conjunction with Cape Girardeau and Jackson.
• Pursue grant funding through regional planning for the disposal of waste tires and other grant opportunities.
• Investigate organizing centralized purchasing for the county.
• Serve as a financial adviser to the commission on budgetary and compliance issues.
• Develop centralized human resources in conjunction with all elected officials and department directors.

The $30,000 will cover pay and expenses for the new assistant, Jones said.

The commission has been considering hiring an assistant for some time, Commissioner Larry Buck said. The first time the matter was an agenda item, however, was Thursday when commissioners worked on the wording of the job description.

"We've talked about this position at different times," Bock said. The conversation became more important, he said, after voters approved a half-cent sales tax in August to fund county road improvements and an expanded sheriff's department.

"It is in the making," Bock said of the new post. "It is not finalized."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126