Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Shawano County will not fill the planning and development director position left vacant by the termination of Tim Reed.
Instead, the county is reorganizing the Planning, Development and Zoning Department to disperse the director duties to two employees. The County Board unanimously signed off on the plan Wednesday.
Zoning Administrator Robert Jacobson, who had been serving as the department’s interim head, will continue to be in charge of planning and development tasks and report to the county Planning, Development and Zoning Committee. Matters of land conservation will be overseen by Scott Frank, the county conservationist, and he will report to the Land Conservation Committee.
Jacobson and Frank will be in charge of their respective budgets. Previously the director oversaw the entire budget.
The county can expect to see a savings of about $85,000, with most of it coming from not having to pay salary and fringe benefits to a director, according to figures provided by Finance Director Diane Rusch.
Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller told the board that he met with Jacobson and Frank prior to the plan coming to the board, and both were in favor.
The reorganization is expected to be official Sunday.
The Administrative and Planning, Development and Zoning committees endorsed the reorganization. Input was also sought from the Land Conservation Committee and the Solid Waste Management Board.