County Board accepts administrator’s resignation, discusses next steps
At a special meeting on the morning of Nov. 1, the Cook County Board of Commissioners accepted Administrator James Joerke’s resignation, then began the discussion about how to proceed.
After remarks from Board Chair Commissioner Ann Sullivan, during which she thanked Joerke for his service, the commissioners heard a short presentation from HR Director Allison Plummer. Plummer outlined how the county could go about hiring a new administrator. She suggested working with the same organization, DDA, that the county has used previously when searching for an administrator. She said that in her communication with DDA, they estimated that the process of hiring an administrator could take three to four months.
The only item on the meeting’s agenda was accepting Joerke’s resignation, so Plummer’s explanation was purely informational, and no further action was taken to begin the hiring process for a new administrator.
Commissioner Deb White said during the meeting that this transitional point would also be a good time to evaluate whether the county wanted to continue on with an administrative government, and suggested exploring other options.
The board will have their next regular business meeting on Nov. 12, and have agreed to discuss the question at that time.
They have tasked Plummer with requesting a proposal from DDA, in the event that the commissioners do not seek to move away from the administrator model. Additionally, the commissioners expressed an interest in hearing from current department heads about their experiences and opinions. Interim Administrator Rowan Watkins said that he will ask department heads to be available for questions during the Nov. 12 meeting.
As the commissioners look into alternative governance structures, Commissioner Ginny Storlie pointed to the Association of Minnesota Counties as a valuable resource for evaluating how to meet the county’s needs. According to the AMC, of Minnesota’s 87 counties, 65 have an administrator position. Another 12 have a county coordinator position, which is similar to an administrator, but lacks some supervisory responsibility. The remaining counties have other alternative structures, which, during the Nov. 1 meeting, Sullivan described as “unusual.”
The Nov. 12 meeting is also slated to focus on budget questions as the board seeks to make cuts to the proposed 2025 budget and bring down the preliminary levy.
Audio of Commissioner Ann Sullivan’s remarks before the board accepted James Joerke’s resignation can be found below.
Kirsten Wisniewski November 1, 2024
