Commissioners table hiring of elections clerk pending office presence, discuss overlap length

Washington County Commissioners Court on July 22 discussed but tabled a request from the elections office to hire a replacement clerk with a one‑month overlap before an anticipated retirement, citing the need for direct input from elections staff on training needs.

County staff explained the candidate would train with Janet Daniel, who plans to retire at the end of August; the estimated additional salary cost for the earlier start was about $4,700 (salary only, benefits not included). "My understanding is that Miss Jackson is actually undergoing training...so that would leave the office empty if she was not here and there was not a new individual there," said a county staff speaker explaining the staffing rationale.

Commissioners and the human‑resources representative debated the appropriate overlap. The HR representative said a two‑week overlap is typically sufficient for an administrative position, while other commissioners expressed willingness to allow up to a month but questioned a six‑week overlap as excessive. One commissioner moved to table the agenda item until Elections staff (Miss Carol Jackson) could attend; the motion to table passed unanimously.

Ending: The item was tabled for a future meeting to allow the elections office to present training specifics and finalize the proposed start date and overlap length; the court did not approve the early hire on July 22.