Not enough votes within the Haralson County Board of Commissioners, this week, to put forth a question to constituents this November. The measure would be about whether or not, the county should add a new government position, county administrator. District One Commissioner, David Tarpley believes the position would benefit Haralson County. His proposal this week was to let the voters decide on it at the polls. That proposal stalled with a tie at two votes.
The count administrator would take over the day to day operations of county business. They would be in charge of the department heads, all the employees and all facets within the county organization, whether it be human resources or insurance. This shields the commissioner from every day going on’s within a business that really shouldn’t concern him or the board, unless it is a legal matter,” said Tarpley.
Tarpley said that according to the County Commissioners of Georgia, 123 of GeorgiaÂ’s 159 counties has a county administrator or manager. Although not all of those countyÂ’s have the position as well as a full time county chairman.
Chairman Allen Poole was one of the two votes against the proposal this week. He tells WLBB radio that he has no problem putting the question to voters, but with the vote being proposed only two and a half months away, he believes itÂ’s a timeline issue.
“You have got to send a question to the creating body, which is at Kennesaw State. You have to have attorney’s look at it to see if it is a viable question that does not violate state or federal laws. Then you allow them to build the question on the ballot. It is a little bit more to it than just saying that we are going to put a question on the ballot before November,” said Poole.
Poole also questioned whether there is enough time to completely define the position and its cost, as well as completely inform the public of what the new role would be responsible for and the cost to tax payers, before November.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Tarpley said he plans to present the proposal again to the Board of Commissioners in 2019. It could get a different result then, as Brad Vines will replace Sammy Robinson on the board in the new year. Ronnie Ridley, who is recovering after a heart-attack, could be back behind the commission desk at that point as well.
