Adams County Commissioners delay interviews for economic development job

RITZVILLE — Adams County Commissioners said Monday they will delay interviewing candidates for Adams County Development Council director while commissioners decide whether to change the position.

The county received applications for the job, and Amalia Perez of the human resources department said some have been pending since October. She asked commissioners during a Monday meeting if they wanted to schedule interviews or send applicants a letter of the delay.

All three commissioners said they reviewed the applications. Commissioner Dan Blankenship said he wanted to delay the interviews while commissioners look at the current job structure. Currently, the director is a county employee, and Blankenship said he wanted some discussion on the best way to proceed.

The position is funded through a special sales tax levy expiring in September 2023. Blankenship said commissioners will decide how to fund the position after the levy expires.

Knowing the sales tax would expire, previous commissioners voted to set aside money from the general fund to pay for economic development activity. Currently, the fund balance is about $1.138 million.

In addition, Blankenship said commissioners should discuss whether the economic development director should be a county employee or work for the ACDC. He also said he thought the $90,000 annual salary was perhaps too much.

Commissioner Terry Thompson said whether the county got value for its money depended on who got the job and on the new director’s results. Blankenship said he didn’t disagree with that, but he thought it would be a good idea to review details.

The position has been vacant since October, when former director Steven McFadden accepted a job with the Port of Pasco.