The county commission may request the Director of the State Department of Transportation to send names of candidates for the position of qualified registered engineer or the commission, without said names, may employ a person who is a qualified registered engineer and who has as least five years’ experience in the construction and maintenance of roads and highways. The person may be a Jackson County resident. This person shall head the department of public works in Jackson County and shall be referred to as the county engineer. During his or her employment, the engineer shall devote his or her entire time and attention to the maintenance and construction of county roads, bridges, and ferries and he or she shall reside in Jackson County. He or she shall select for the transfer to the county department of public works up to 75 percent of the state employees, at their option, who presently are employed by the State Department of Transportation, and who in the 12 calendar months immediately preceding October 1, 1979, have spent more than 50 percent of their productive work time, according to the official payroll records of the State Department of Transportation, in the construction, repair, and maintenance of county roads and bridges in the county. Any state employee who meets this criteria and who wishes to be employed by the county shall receive the same salary and benefits he or she received at the beginning of January 1979, and shall remain a member of the state retirement system. Monies for retirement payments of the employees of the department of public works may come out of the road fund. The county commission shall set the classification and salary of the assistant engineer and all other department of public works employees. There shall exist a six-month probationary period before any new employee may become a certified employee of the department of public works. Seventy percent of the county engineer’s salary shall be paid by the state as set forth in Section 11-6-4. Subject to the approval of the Jackson County Commission, the county engineer shall appoint an engineer trainee. The state shall provide 50 percent of the salary of the trainee as provided in Section 11-6-23. The county commission may discharge the county engineer after notifying the Director of the State Department of Transportation 30 days prior to termination. In the event an emergency should arise, in which it would be impossible for the county commission to employ an engineer, as herein provided, the county commission shall employ a competent road supervisor who need not be an engineer but, when so employed, he or she shall have all the duties and authority of the engineer. Provided, however, a county engineer shall be hired no later than 90 days after such position becomes vacant.
Last modified: May 3, 2021