The Board of Commissioners approved in a 2-1 vote to change the chief of staff's job description so that he would report to all three commissioners instead of the Chairman and county CEO, Richard Oden.

Oden voted against the measure while Commmissioners Oz Nesbitt and JaNice Van Ness voted for the measure.

VanNess cited improving communication from the chief of staff as the objective of introducing this change.

"The interest in this move was really to help solidify communications between all three commissioners and make sure priorities were set not just for the chairman but also for all three commissioners and the goals of the county in a more unified spirit," she said.

"It should not change the way the job is done except to have a higher level of expectation for reporting. So I would not expect any change in salary. There's not a change in salary for finance director because she reports to all three."

The finance director, Roselyn Miller, and county attorney, Qader Baig, report to all three commissioners.

Human Resources director Jeff Pogue offered to return at a later meeting with more information on area salaries for comparable positions and responsibilties. However, the BOC approved the vote without requesting the salary information.

Afterwards, Chief of Staff Greg Pridgeon said this action was about communication and that his communications with the commissioners may not have been received in the spirit it was given.

He emphasized the need to distinguish between legislative and administrative bodies. "There needs to be an appreciation for and understanding of and respect for the line between legislation and administration."

"One of the things that's always constant is change," he said. "One model may work for a while and then changes to another model."

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