Muskegon County Board of Commissioners Statement of Policy

STATEMENT OF POLICY

The Board of Commissioners of Muskegon County, Michigan hereby agrees to establish

an office of the County Administrator and declares the intent to maintain the following

policies regarding his/her responsibilities and its relationship with him/her.

A. General duties and responsibilities of the Administrator shall be:

1. To prepare the annual budget and capital improvement program for

submission to the Board of Commissioners and to direct and supervise the

accounting and control functions necessary to ensure compliance with the

budget as adopted by the Board.

2. To serve as the chief professional advisor to the Board and to assist in

securing specialized technical and professional consulting services as

needed.

3. To make such reports as the Board may require concerning operations of the

county government and to prepare plans and programs for the Board’s

consideration in anticipation of future needs and services.

4. To supervise and direct all county agencies and personnel under the

jurisdiction of the Board of Commissioners.

5. To serve as a representative of the Board of Commissioners in

communications with autonomous county officers and board and with

agencies of other federal, state, and local governmental agencies.

6. To provide general supervision of the Department of Corporate Counsel.

B. In order that the Administrator may exercise effectively the general duties and

responsibilities listed in Rule XIX, the Board of Commissioners will, through motion

or through the Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners:

1. Provide that he/she will attend all meetings of the Board (except when

his/her own position and salary are to be discussed) and that he/she may

participate in discussion of matters before the board but without a vote.

2. Direct all committees under the jurisdiction of the Board to notify the

Administrator of all meetings and to invite him/her to attend and participate

in committee discussions.

3. Assign to him/her the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board

and its own members who wish to have matters placed on the agenda to

submit their requests to him/her in advance.

4. Adopt uniform personnel policies to be applied to County employees by

the Administrator.

C. To promote the coordination of all activities of the County, the Board of

Commissioners will:

1. Invite statutory boards and committees to designate the Administrator as the

administrative officer or otherwise work in close cooperation with his/her

office.

2. Encourage independently elected county officials to coordinate their work

with that of the Administrator and to meet with him/her periodically for the

consideration of county programs and plans.

3. Invite other local units of government in the county to cooperate with the

Administrator through the establishment of joint conference committees,

coordinated procedures, and other arrangements that may be established.

D. The Administrator, in turn, will be expected to:

1. Work with the Board of Commissioners as a single body, except insofar as

the Board may direct him/her to work with committees or statutory boards.

2. Keep the board fully advised of the financial condition and future needs of

the county and make such recommendations concerning the affairs of the

county as he/she deems appropriate.

3. Recognize at all times that he/she is accountable to the Board of

Commissioners for the administration of its policies and programs and for

his/her conduct as a responsible public official.

4. The Administrator will inform the Board in writing of any outside boards

and/or committees on which he/she was asked to serve and accepted.