As director of administrative services for Mercer County who oversees three departments, Bill Boyle might be considered by some to be the quintessential team player.

Commissioner Brian Beader thinks it’s time to break up the team and he’d like to hire a human resources director to accomplish that.

Boyle was hired in 1994 as personnel director. As other department heads left, he was given their responsibilities: purchasing less than a year later and maintenance in 2001.

“Bill is our human resources director, but we’ve given him three different hats,” Beader said Tuesday. “And anything else that comes along, he gets that, too. So he’s getting pulled in many different directions.”

Boyle emphasized he can manage the work load but said Beader is simply doing some “long-range thinking/planning.”

Boyle has given no indication his retirement is imminent, but noted he will turn 65 next year.

Beader said human resources work continues to grow because of new laws and the county’s addition of some three dozen employees at the new jail.

Although a human resources director might work with Boyle for a period of time, Beader said his goal is to keep the positions separate in the future with the human resources director handling personnel matters and a second person managing purchasing and maintenance.

It’s uncertain if Boyle’s salary, which is $67,025, would be affected by the addition of a human resources director, or how much a new director would be paid. The average salary for courthouse department heads and agency directors is about $53,000.

Commissioner Olivia M. Lazor declined to comment on Beader’s suggestion, citing executive session privileges because it was a personnel matter, although she said, “Certainly, I would entertain discussing it.”

“Just remember how busy this man is going to be this summer,” Beader said. “... I think now would be a good time to bring somebody on.”

Beader said Boyle will be responsible for overseeing several capital projects that are on tap, but was willing to cite only one: the repaving of the parking lot that abuts District Judge Lorinda L. Hinch’s office. Other major issues on Boyle’s plate, commissioners said, include records storage and revamping the county’s policy manual and pay charts.

“We have a lot of issues facing us and we throw a lot of work at Bill,” Beader said. “And we still have things to be done.”

Ms. Lazor said she has no problem taking a look at the duties for “first-line” administrators to balance their work load, but added commissioners have yet to sit down and do it.

“Right now when we talk about it, we’re just talking off the top of our heads,” she said.

Beader said Boyle does a tremendous job and wondered when Boyle decides to retire if the county will be able to hire someone who can take care of human resources, purchasing, maintenance and all the other little things, like the motor pool, that Boyle takes care.

“You’re not going to find it,” he said.

In the end, Beader’s goal is to be able to pass on Boyle’s knowledge so “we’re not in a crisis situation” when he decides to retire.

Tags

Trending Video