The Habersham County manager hiring process will begin during the commission’s executive session on Monday, October 21.
According to County Manager Alicia Vaughn, Habersham has received 31 applications for the position. The application period for interested applicants opened on September 23 and closed on October 14.
Job Announcement
The county manager job announcement advertised the starting minimum salary at $120,000 with the maximum starting salary of $175,000. Vaughn’s salary is $203,278.40 without benefits and retirement after 3 ½ years on the job.
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The job announcement listed the minimum qualifications for interested applicants in order to be considered for the position. Those qualifications were for the applicant to have a bachelor’s degree in either public administration, government operations, accounting, business management, or similar program. The applicant should have a minimum of 5 years experience in local government and two years of executive experience, according to the job description as advertised.
The advertisement states the applicant should have served in or be familiar with the commission-manager form of government. They should also have a proven record of leadership, fiscal stewardship, innovation and relationship building.
The candidate that is hired will be required to pass a background/reference check and a pre-employment drug screen.
Timeline of hiring
With Vaughn’s last day being December 27 as stated in her amended employment contract, no definite timeline has been established to announce her replacement.
The Habersham County Commission will have its first opportunity as a group to review the 31 applications the county has received. From there, commissioners will discuss the next steps in the hiring process.
Commission Chairman Ty Akins described his urgency in filling the position as Vaughn’s impending departure nears. “This definitely leaves the county in a tight spot. We have multiple high level projects in the works that she was the lead on,” he said.
The commission has stated that it would like to have someone in place as soon as possible so Vaughn can get that person up to speed with county business before her departure.
Resignation
Vaughn presented an amended employment contract for commissioners to consider during executive session at the end of a regular meeting in September. The amended contract included her last day as December 27, at which time she will resign as county manager. The commission unanimously approved the amended agreement.
The agreement approved by commissioners includes a severance package upon Vaughn’s departure. That package will cost taxpayers a little more than $144,200.
