County Administrator Carissa Knapp clarifies new roles, compensation, and dynamics
County Clerk Robert Christman formalizes new county law
By Andrew Harris
Our reporting on the appointment of Tim Boyde as the new Director of Economic Development early this week created many questions about the future of this new county agency. Carissa Knapp, who at this point knows Allegany County government better than anyone, provided some more information on Boyde’s new role and the direction of the new department.
The appointment of Tim Boyde, also a deputy county administrator, to this new role begged the questions: Will he be performing both jobs or moving into a new role? Is Boyde being paid for both jobs and what is that total annual wage ?
Knapp explains that Boyde will be doing both, part-time jobs, for a modest increase in salary:
“Tim is getting a raise in pay for taking on a bigger role with helping in the Economic Development transition. He currently earns about $48,000/year for his part-time Deputy Administrator role. He’ll forgo that salary but earn $69,000/year for the Economic Director title as he expects to put more time into that job than he was as a Deputy Administrator.”
With that question answered, the next unknown is what Boyde’s new role will entail and how does Dr. Craig Clark and Alfred State factor into the equation? What should taxpayers expect from the new office and new director? Will Boyde be searching for a permanent director for the department ?
Knapp give a good picture of what the early days of the new department will look like :
“As interim Director, Tim won’t be headhunting so much as helping with the interview process for potential Director candidates. He’ll also be working with Dr. Clark on a transition plan as the County moves away from contracting economic development services to standing up an office devoted to it. The contract with Alfred State was only extended through February and its future beyond that is uncertain. It’s critical we dedicate an employee to working with Dr. Clark right now and Tim will be that person until we find a full-time Director. Aside from those duties, Tim will work with existing County staff to have a game plan ready to organize an Office of Economic Development. That will include such things as looking at the budget and staffing needs as well as working with our Planning Office on what Planning’s role is in the future of economic development.”
Knapp also notes that Boyde will continue to support her in the County Administrators office where they are getting some new talent up to speed. Standout Wellsville graduate Mallory Short(LaForge) has been hired as Knapps new deputy county administrator. Boyde, with a wealth of experience as a civil servant, will be integral in “onboarding” Short, explains Knapp:
“Tim’s work as Deputy Administrator will be to just generally support me in my duties and assist in getting my new Deputy, Mallory Short, up and running as we begin delegating her some of the projects and tasks we’ve collectively been working on over the long-term in the Administrator’s Office.”
The last loose end that Carissa Knapp made a point to tie up is the county vote to create a new full-time Deputy Director of Economic Development. The county administrator explains that creating the position is more of a strategic planning move than a help wanted ad. According to Knapp, by creating the position now, at the same time the new department is created, will save the county the cost of red tape down the road:
“There are no plans to fill that position any time soon. It’s a new title we’ve never had before and we’re just creating the position now so that it officially exists on our HR books. That will allow HR to do the work needed to amend our civil service plan to include the title ahead of any request to fill the position. At some point in the future, if a Director wants to fill the Deputy position, they’ll need to come to committee to ask permission to fill the position and the Board will need to assign a salary. The Deputy Director might never be filled, but it’s good to have options and this is the pre-work that makes that possible. Basically, we’re clearing some of the red tape now to save time in the future if we want to hire this position.”
These big changes in Allegany County will be interesting and exciting to watch moving forward. Tim Boyde’s reputation as a very effective and experienced administrator are common knowledge. According to Knapp, Boyde is an asset that our county is lucky to have, playing on the team as a “pinch hitter,” during some very challenging times:
“Tim has been a wonderful mentor and resource to me over the past few years. The knowledge and experience he brings from a long career in administration in a variety of offices and environments combined with his ability to periodically come out of retirement to pinch hit when we’re short-staffed has been invaluable to the County. The work on his plate for the rest of 2022 is to pinch hit again while we search for a Director and to similarly be good resource to Mallory and the new Director of Economic Development as they begin their careers in Allegany County.”
Allegany County Clerk Robert Christman provided the formal notice of the new law in Allegany County which creates the new Economic Development Department. Read the full law below:
