By HANNAH HOFFMAN
Of the News-Register

When Yamhill County Information Systems Director Murray Paolo came under scrutiny last month for alleged on-the-job improprieties, he answered to the full board of commissioners.

Board Chair Leslie Lewis served as the liaison commissioner for his department, which authorized her to evaluate his performance. However, when she wanted to terminate him, she needed a second vote and was unable to get one.

As a result of the Paolo case, that kind of fuzzy, diffused chain of command is about to end.

As soon as the board can get all the pieces in place, county department heads will report to an appointed staff person — Laura Tschabold, who will assume the title of Yamhill County administrator. And she will enjoy one piece of authority that Lewis did not — the ability to fire as well as to hire and evaluate.

Under the new system, the commissioners will limit their direct supervision to Tschabold, County Counsel John Gray and their fellow elected officials — the latter a legal requirement for general law counties like Yamhill. Tschabold will supervise all of the county’s appointed department heads, along with Budget Officer John Krawczyk and an assistant administrator yet to be hired.

The commissioners hope to work out a job description and pay range for the new position, and launch a recruitment campaign, in time to get the new system going by the start of the new year. Tschabold, currently at $84,000, is expected to go to something on the order of $126,000 when she assumes her expanded duties.

The commissioners have been batting the idea around for a couple of years, according to Commissioner Kathy George. “The county is growing, and it would be a better management structure in general,” she said.

However, the Paolo issue provided the impetus for immediate action, she said. “I’m not going to say the Murray situation didn’t have an impact on the timing,” she said.

As an elected commissioner, “It’s hard to keep your finger on the pulse of everything on a day-to-day basis,” George said. She said a chief administrator would be better positioned to do handle that when it comes to departments headed by non-elected officials.

Last month, Tschabold and the commissioners traveled to Linn and Polk counties to see such systems in action. And they liked what they saw.

At Monday’s informal board session, Tschabold shared her impressions of the two meetings. She presented three charts showing different ways Yamhill County might be organized under a county administrator.

A more centralized command structure promises several benefits, Tschabold said, including “efficient management,” “clear, professional accountability” and “effective and confidential personnel management.” In addition, it would better distinguish between administrative and policymaking roles, she said.

While the commissioners don’t conduct formal votes or make formal decisions during their Monday work sessions, all three concurred with Tschabold’s findings. They expressed an intent to get the new system in place by January, when the county is scheduled to commence its next budget planning cycle.

Commissioner Mary Stern made her support for such a change clear early in the Paolo affair. She said it showed the liaison commissioner model wasn’t effective.

The News-Register also advocated the idea editorially.

As of Monday, the commissioners had not notified department heads of the change. The new structure will be in place by January, when the new budget planning cycle starts, the commissioners said.

In the meantime, all that needs to be done is to pass a series of orders and ordinances, which each require board votes, Gray said. The commissioners can hold a public hearing if they wish, but it’s not required, he said.

Pay ranges have not yet been set for either the administrator or assistant administrator position, let alone exact pay levels. However, Personnel Director Pat Anderson said top administrator positions typically pay about $10,500 a month, which works out to $126,000 a year.

George said she Tschabold has her full confidence. “She excels at everything she does,” the commissioner said.