Restructuring County Administration Takes Extra Effort

Highlands County commissioners have the right idea in asking whether the county really needs another level of administration. The costs are high to implement such a plan, and the payoff is difficult to deduce.

Tommy Todd is serving as facilitator for the county on this project, which would make new positions as division directors. Department heads would report to them, while they report to the county administrator. The plan is to make the administrator less of a day-to-day manager and more of a public figure who keeps the commission informed of what's going on in the county.

We understand what Todd is saying, but wonder if it's necessary for Highlands County. Granted, our county government has a lot of employees and departments, but it doesn't seem like that's been an issue until now. Can't department heads serve as that level of manager to report to the administrator, or assistant administrator.

It's also true that a county manager should not be bogged down in work that keeps him or her away from the most important facets of the job. It's difficult to be an effective leader if you're buried in minutiae that could be better handled by someone else.

Perhaps there are parts of county government where an administrator is needed. Converging different departments that have similar goals probably does require someone to make sure citizens are not paying for redundancies.

Citizens of this county have been clear that they want a government that runs lean and efficiently. Sometimes hiring people can achieve those goals, but sometimes it just creates a layer of bureaucracy. If we've learned anything about bureaucracy at the state and national level, it's that getting rid of it is next to impossible.

We applaud county commissioners and county administration for considering every possibility to keep things running smoothly and addressing county growth. Sometimes the transition from a small, rural county into a bigger operation - as this county is verging on now - requires different ways of managing. We all should be open to new ideas on management. But is this what we need right now? Answering that question deserves real consideration.