President's Message
- Volume 51, Number 5 - 2007
Do You Support ACCA's Educational Programs?
Looking through our Association’s membership directory, an old-timer is struck by all the new names, especially under the category of county administrator. At least 20 of the 67 counties have administrators who have been in their current positions for less than three years. That means almost one-third of the administrators are still “getting their feet wet” as the administrative leader for their county commission.
A similar observation can be made about county engineers, EMA directors, 911 directors, revenue officers and others in our courthouses. The turnover in the last few years has been significant in all these important positions.
Certainly, we do the best to hire the most qualified persons available. But, the truth is, the operation of county government is unlike anything else. Serving as an administrator in the private sector is very different from holding the position of county administrator. Engineers in private practice really aren’t confronted with the challenges faced every day by the 67 county engineers.
Many companies have employees that prepare for and respond to emergencies, but their duties are certainly very different from being a county emergency management director or overseeing a county 911 program. And, there really is no public sector job that prepares you to collect sales and other taxes on the local level.
Our employees face a difficult task from the beginning. So, it is essential that we give them the best opportunity for success by providing the best in training, information and resources. ACCA and its affiliate groups sponsor training and certification programs designed to provide the skills and information needed in the unique world of county government. We are proud of the educational programs and those who work hard to ensure their quality.
Over the years, we have all recognized that the most outstanding county employees have been those who have been active in everything: serving in officer positions in their individual associations, completing the educational programs, fulfilling the continuing education requirements of their educational programs, attending conferences and conventions on both the state and national levels, and taking an active role in our Association’s legislative and other activities.
However, participation in all these programs is costly in terms of time away from the office necessary for those involved. Participation in the programs requires the employees not only to be away from their duties, but also from home and family. And, when you are new on the job, it is human nature to try to be “on the job” every day.
The report of ACCA’s 2015 Task Force encourages the Association to work towards the utilization of non-traditional means to provide some of our training. We will focus some attention on that recommendation.
But, there are so many benefits to meeting and exchanging ideas with your peers; learning from their experiences; establishing a relationship with a neighbor who can help you when something unexpected happens. So, we can’t completely eliminate the travel, the time away from the desk, and the need for county commissioners to recognize the importance of education.
It is that element of our educational programs – the support of county commissioners – that is on my mind as your president. It has been my experience that county employees respond to the leadership of their elected officials, especially if they are interested in enjoying longevity and personal satisfaction.
So, when I’m told that participation in our educational programs has slipped during the last couple of years, I wonder if my county commissioner colleagues are putting enough emphasis on participation.
If a new administrator – or engineer, or revenue officer, or EMA director, or 911 director – is hired, I wonder if the county commissioners are emphasizing the need for training and involvement. It is logical to assume if such emphasis were present, participation in the educational programs would be growing.
Another recommendation of the 2015 Task Force is for the establishment of a committee to look at the enhancement of the educational programs to ensure that we are, in fact, meeting the needs of our employees. That group will be getting together soon.
But, in the meantime, it is important that we take an inventory of our actions and attitudes. A few months ago, the filling of the position of county administrator in a particular county was posted on the Association’s website. And, that county commission listed completion of the Association’s educational program as a qualification for the job.
When that county hired someone from outside county government, the commission quickly informed the new employee that he would be required to complete the program – if he wanted to continue to be the administrator.
If all county commissions adopted this approach, maybe this old timer would not be all that worried about all the new faces.
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