At least two Franklin County commissioners, Don Waymire and Harold Fuller, favor the proposed position. Neighboring Douglas, Johnson and Miami counties operate with a county administrator. Whether Franklin County voters are ready to support a new expenditure for such a position remains to be seen. County residents rated the quality of elected officials and decisions by county leaders as below average on a recent countywide survey. Despite any specific questions on the survey regarding a county manager, eight of 541 completed surveys listed the position as a critical county issue.
County commissioners are wise to reconsider the county manager position.
A county administrator should make logical business decisions rather than emotional ones. A charge sometimes lodged against county commissioners. It might also enhance cooperative efforts with the city and school board. With a county manager, commissioners, whether there are three or five members, could do their jobs in a fraction of the time they do now. A commissioner job requiring fewer hours might attract a new generation of citizens willing to serve in the policymaking function.