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News / Politics / Clark County Politics

Council approves new county manager’s contract

Henessee will start next month with $170,000 base salary

By Katie Gillespie, Columbian Education Reporter
Published: June 12, 2018, 7:28pm

Beginning July 23, Clark County will officially have a permanent county manager again.

The Clark County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved incoming County Manager Shawn Henessee’s contract, granting him a base salary of $170,000, a monthly car allowance of $450, benefits and retirement coverage under the Washington Public Employee’s Retirement System. He will also receive up to $12,000 for moving costs.

Henessee is currently the city administrator in Pleasant Hill, Mo., population 8,000. He has also been the assistant director for Jackson County, a large Missouri county covering much of Kansas City, and is a Washington bar admitted attorney who worked at a law firm focused on land use.

The decision came with little ceremony, with Councilor Julie Olson, a Republican, noting only that “we’re excited to have Mr. Henessee join the team.”

The vote nonetheless signaled a significant turning point for the Clark County Council, which has been without a permanent county manager for more than a year.

In May 2017, the council abruptly fired former County Manager Mark McCauley, offering only vague explanation for the reasoning behind the decision. McCauley is now a department head in Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula.

Interim County Manager Jim Rumpeltes has been in the temporary role since July as Clark County conducted a nationwide search for a new manager.

Last year, the council rejected two finalists for the position before starting the process anew, eventually setting on Henessee and two other candidates last month.

The search for a county manager has come at a high cost: nearly $300,000 between Rumpeltes’ salary, McCauley’s six months of severance pay and payments to a Texas-based recruiting and consulting firm to find a new manager.

When Henessee steps into the top executive role at Clark County next month, he’s likely to have a full plate of responsibilities. Clark County is currently grappling with a budget shortfall, an embattled permit center and an outdated and overcrowded jail.

“I look forward to starting as county manager at Clark County,” Henessee said in a county news release. “It is an exciting opportunity with great employees and located in a beautiful area.”

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Columbian Education Reporter