Previously, the commissioners appointed Commissioner Larry Brady to oversee the highway department, and now Shorter said the commissioners will be appointing themselves as “overseers” of various departments. She said this will allow them to address personnel issues or other small-scale issues in a quicker manner, though actions that require votes must still be taken in a public meeting.
Shorter said the primary reason for this step-by-step process of appointing the commissioners as supervisors of various departments is to allow them to “teach the teachers,” that is, educate the department heads on policies laid out in the county’s handbook in order to prevent any issues. She said the county rest home was following the handbook, but she was appointed to oversee the department in order to prevent any problems down the road over policy issues or tort claims.
