Salt Lake County commissioners want more power when it comes to hiring and firing division directors, but a report issued by a committee they established to study the matter stops short of fulfilling all their wishes.
The report recommends that only 14 additional county employees be placed under the elected commission's direct control. All other county employees are protected by a "merit" system. They can't be fired without good reason, and they can appeal to a grievance committee.Democrats Randy Horiuchi and Jim Bradley were elected to the commission last year, giving the Democrats control of county government. They immediately began pushing for broader powers over county division directors, arguing that they needed directors who would implement the commission's policy decisions.
Opponents to the plan worry the county will return to a spoils system, where government is run by political expediency rather than public interest.
Commissioner Randy Horiuchi said he will push to get more division directors under his control than those recommended in the report. In particular, he believes the county's planning director and sanitation director should be under his control.
"Recycling is an area that could play a major roll in the coming decade," he said, explaining why the sanitation director should answer to the commission.
The report also recommends that Health Department Director Dr. Harry Gibbons be placed under commission control. Gibbons is appointed by a board of directors independent of the commission, and county officials doubt they have the authority to change that.
Commission Chairman Jim Bradley said he will recommend a meeting between the commission and the committee that drafted the report. "I do have some minor questions, but as far as I can tell, I think they've done a thorough job," he said.
Ultimately, the Merit Review Commission, a board appointed by the County Commission, will decide who should be exempted from the merit system.