San Benito County’s search for a new Public Works Department
director has been put on hold until the county’s financial picture
is more clear.
San Benito County’s search for a new Public Works Department director has been put on hold until the county’s financial picture is more clear.
The senior position – which will be expanded to include parks management and will be renamed director of public works and parks – has been open since December. That’s when former Public Works Administrator Doug Koenig resigned after more than three years on the job.
A recruitment for the role – which pays a salary of between $99,000 and $126,000 – has been under way since. The county attracted “about 10” applicants, and half of them are highly qualified for the job, according to Human Resources Director Elizabeth Brown.
A panel of selected officials from surrounding jurisdictions will eventually interview the finalists – a process Brown said doesn’t have to wait for a July budget approval. She hopes for interviewing to take place in about a month, she said.
“We asked them if they could sit tight for a little bit and we’ll get back to them as the budget review falls out,” Brown said.
County Administrative Officer Terrence May has already spelled out a $4 million gap between departmental requests and a balanced budget. A committee of two supervisors has been meeting to brainstorm ways to cut programs and possibly lay off employees.
The public works department head role, she said, is a key position within county government. The manager oversees a $10 million budget that includes road improvements and subdivision mapping, she said.
In the meantime, the two assistant directors – Arman Nazemi and Pete Corn – have overseen the department.
“It is a key position,” Brown said. “I know the CAO would like to see it filled.”
Kollin Kosmicki can be reached at 637-5566, ext. 331 or at kk*******@fr***********.com.
