San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner Ron Ross has announced his retirement.
Ross is set to retire from the county. While the county recruits a replacement, however, officials hope to keep Ross on in a part-time capacity until filling the role.
At the 9 a.m. Tuesday board of supervisors meeting, officials will weigh bringing him on part time after his retirement becomes effective Jan. 15, according to a board agenda.
County officials will honor Ross and other impending retirees. Also on a county list in Tuesday’s agenda of upcoming departures is Patrick Palacios, a deputy district attorney with the county since April 2007. Palacios has overseen many of the county’s most prominent cases since his arrival.
Ross, meanwhile, has been with the county since 1991. He has been agricultural commissioner since the fall of 2009, when he succeeded former Agricultural Commissioner Paul Matulich after his passing.
The county has started the recruitment to fill the position, but wants to keep Ross on part time to keep someone in the leadership role. State law requires government bodies to wait 180 days after a retirement to re-hire the same person, but the county is looking for an exemption based on the role being a “critically needed position.”
The maximum salary for the position is $10,559 or $126,708 annually. The county wants to bring Ross back on at an hourly rate of $55.25.
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