But with a year under his belt and a chance to address the county's finances, County Administrator Alan Ours and other officials expect a fruitful year in 2001. Mr. Ours, who took the job after serving as county administrator in Valdosta, Ga., hired four new department heads as well as an assistant administrator in 2000. Four of the five hires were internal promotions, and County Council Chairman Bob Nash said Mr. Ours has helped foster a positive atmosphere among employees. Morale seems to be high.
Motivation is good.
Mr. Ours said it wasn't until August that he began to feel comfortable with the job. First he had to make sense of the county's finances, which officials said were muddled because of inadequate record-keeping. The problems preceded the resignation of the finance director in April as well as a sizable tax increase. Mr. Ours and new finance director Ralph Guarino, who also came from Valdosta, said a new system is in place to better track revenue and expenses and that finances are back to normal. Officials said goals for the upcoming year include planning for future growth and efforts to attract new industry.