By MIKE MCCOY
Statesman Staff Writer
BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stoddard County Commission voted to approve making a position in the Stoddard County Public Administrator's office a full-time position in a special meeting Thursday morning.
The vote was 3-0 to make Cyndy Duckworth full-time with all the benefits of a full-time employee.
County Public Administrator Pam Lape made the request a the regular meeting of the commission held Oct. 28. She said Duckworth had received another job offer, and would be leaving if she could not obtain full-time status. Lape said she needed a decision on the request by the end of the month, or Duckworth would leave.
"I hate to lose her," Lape told the commission on Monday. "She is familiar with paying bills and writing checks, and I really would prefer not to have to train someone."
"I felt like she (Duckworth) was an asset to the county," said Commissioner Carol Jarrell. "She knows her job and does it well."
Jarrell said she made a motion two years ago to make both positions in the public administrator's office full-time positions. She said the motion died for lack of a second at that time.
Jarrell said both Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis and Commissioner Danny Talkington agreed that it was in the best interest of the county to keep Duckworth as an employee in the public administrator's office.
Jarrell said the position was to become full time beginning Nov. 1. She said the commission reviewed the budget in the public administrator's office and found there was enough money to provide funding for the full-time employee for the rest of the year. She said funding will have to be appropriated for the position to be full time next year during the budget process.
"We will have to budget money at that time," said Jarrell.
Rhonda Wyatt is the other employee in the public administrator's office.