VANCOUVER — The Clark County Board of County Councilors approved Interim County Manager Jim Rumpeltes to sign a contract with Strategic Government Resources of Texas to start the search for a new county manager.
At a county council meeting on Aug. 15, the council voted 4 to 1 in favor of giving Rumpeltes the authority to sign the contract. Councilor Eileen J. Quiring was the only dissenting vote.
“I don’t think this is a very good fit,” Quiring said, referencing the use of Strategic Government Resources for the search.
Rumpeltes said that the contract was for $27,000 plus expenses, and the search would start immediately for a new county manager.
“We will inform the public of the steps throughout this process,” Council Chair Marc Boldt said.
In May, county councilors voted unanimously to terminate the former county manager, Mark McCauley, who had held that position since 2014, when voters approved a Home Rule Charter for Clark County.
His position was filled temporarily by Deputy County Manager Bob Stevens.
In June, the county entered into a contract with Issaquah executive search firm Prothman Co. to find a professional interim county manager. Prothman recommended the services of Rumpeltes, from Surprise, Ariz.
As interim county manager, Rumpeltes works as an employee for Prothman. He was approved by the county council and began work as the interim county manager in July.
Rumpeltes is being paid $125 per hour for his work with Clark County. A Clark County Human Resources staffer informed ClarkCountyToday.com in a response to a Public Documents Request that there is no estimate or limit for how many hours Rumpeltes will work for the county, only what is stated as the hourly rate.
Assistant County Manager Bob Stevens was originally appointed as the interim county manager, but Stevens said at that time that he didn’t want to fill the position for an extended period of time.
