The Shadow
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WARM SPRINGS — After a lengthy search that encompassed two interims, Bath County now has a new county administrator.
Ashton N. Harrison accepted the post after the Bath County Board of Supervisors voted to offer him the job Tuesday night.
Harrison will be relocating to Bath County from Colorado. He will begin his new duties Sept. 15.
“We are very much looking forward to having Mr. Harrison on board,” said Bath County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bruce McWilliams. “Ashton brings a wealth of experience as an administrator with extensive background in municipal and county administration, as well as strong planning, land use and budget experience.
Harrison most recently served as the county administrator and budget officer for Montezuma County, a rural Colorado county consisting of 2,041 square miles and a population of about 25,000.
“My family and I are very excited about the opportunity to live and work in one of the most beautiful areas of the country,” Harrison said in a news release of his decision to move to Bath County. “We are avid outdoor people and we cannot wait to explore, hike and fish in Bath County and the region.
“We are also excited about immersing ourselves into the wonderful and distinct history and culture of Virginia. Bath County is an oasis on many different levels,” he added.
Harrison said he looks forward to serving the board of supervisors and the Bath County community.
“My management style is basic: Make things happen in a professional, open, transparent and cost-effective manner,” Harrison explained. “I keep a quote from Theodore Roosevelt on my desk, ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.’ ”
Harrison has a master of arts in political science with an emphasis in public policy from the University of Colorado at Denver and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colo., where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He is also a certified public manager.
Harrison is married with two children.
Harrison succeeds Matt Walker, the last full-time Bath County administrator. Since Walker’s resignation in early September of 2012, William O’Brien and Janet Bryan have served as interim administrators.
“A tremendous amount of time has been invested in this process,” McWilliams said. “It’s been a challenge to find a candidate.
“We’ve been at this for eight months now,” McWilliams added. “We’ve had a couple of good candidates in the past and we didn’t quite get to them in time.”
McWilliams thanked everyone who was involved in the search process.
“I feel very confident that the process was effective,” he said. “I’m very excited about moving forward with some leadership now.”
Harrison’s appointment was approved by a vote of 4-1 with Supervisor Claire Collins dissenting.
His compensation package was then approved by a vote of 3-2 with Collins and Bart Perdue casting the dissenting votes.
Harrison’s beginning salary of $99,500 will increase to $104,500 after a six-month probationary period and a satisfactory performance review.
He will receive up to $10,000 for moving and relocation expenses and he will receive a vehicle allowance of $8,400 per year.
During board comments near the close of Tuesday’s meeting, Collins warned that the board of supervisors’ perception in the community is becoming somewhat diminished.
“In government, perception become reality, even more so today than ever before,” she said. “I’m warning my fellow board members, be careful. You’re being watched.”
Also Tuesday night, supervisors approved amendments to the 2013-14 fiscal year budget.
Bryan explained that funds of $332,027 in the school food transfer category had been entered twice in the budget, thus elevating revenues, while several items had been omitted from the expenditure side of the budget.
These items included monies to fund the new school resource officer, an emergency generator payment, funding for the medical examiner and a payment to Dabney S. Lancaster Com-munity College.
Bryan explained that she and County Treasurer Pam Webb offset these omitted expenditures by removing $100,000 from the county’s Contingency Fund, while $300,000 was removed from renovations and $50,000 was taken from the Parks and Recreation budget.
“We were able to balance the budget,” Bryan said.
The balanced budget for fiscal year 2013-14 remained at $21,029,272, Bryan said.
Supervisors approved these amendments by a vote of 3-0-2 with Collins and Bart Perdue abstaining. Collins and Perdue did not vote for budget approval when the 2013-14 financial document was initially approved in late May.
Collins expressed her gratitude to Bryan and Webb for their work on the budget.
“They’re look out for us as financial trustees,” Collins said.
Also Tuesday night, supervisors entertained remarks from resident Glen Criser, who spoke of the ramifications a proposed Great Eastern Trail could have on Bath County.
The Great Eastern Trail Association is spearheading an effort to create America’s newest long distance hiking trail that would extend 1,800 miles through nine states, including a section that would wind through Bath County.
Criser said each locality is being asked to include the trail in its comprehensive plan, while funding for the trail should be included in each locality’s yearly budget.
Criser also questioned upkeep and safety aspects of the trail.
“I have more questions than I do answers,” Criser said. “A lot of things are mentioned that Bath County is not even aware of.”
Criser suggested that county officials seek additional information on the trail. He said the U.S. Forest Service has flagged one mile of Muddy Run Trail through Hidden Valley as a section of the proposed trail.
Criser added that the trail could impact hunting in Bath County.
“This is going through the heart of hunting in Bath County,” Criser said. “I would hate to see the day come that Bath County did not have hunting. There would be no Bath County.”
In other business Tuesday night, supervisors:
— discussed courthouse renovations and requests for proposals for pavement replacement at the library and the parking area between the 911 building and the sheriff’s office;
— discussed the possibility of a public hearing held jointly between Bath County, Clifton Forge and Alleghany County on the restriction of truck traffic on Rt. 606;
— approved the appointment of Eddie Ryder to the Bath County Airport Authority;
— approved a request from Sheriff Robert Plecker to surplus a vehicle in his fleet.
