Duties of the County Administrator

• County Administrator.  Section 59.18 of the Wisconsin Statutes prescribes the responsibilities and authority of the County Administrator.

The County Administrator is appointed by a majority vote of the board of supervisors.  The county administrator is the chief administrative officer of the county and takes care that every county ordinance and state or federal law is observed, enforced and administered within his or her county if the ordinance or law is subject to enforcement by the county administrator or any other person supervised by the county administrator. The duties and powers of the county administrator shall be, without limitation because of enumeration, to:

1. Coordinate and direct all administrative and management functions of the county government not otherwise vested by law in boards or commissions, or in other elected officers.

2. Appoint and supervise the heads of all departments of the county except those elected by the people and except where the statutes provide that the appointment shall be made by elected officers; but the county administrator shall also appoint and supervise all department heads where the law provides that the appointment shall be made by a board or commission, by the chairperson of the county board or by the county board. Notwithstanding any statutory provision that a board or commission supervise the administration of a department, the department head shall supervise the administration of the department and the board or commission shall perform any advisory or policy-making function authorized by statute. Any appointment by the county administrator under this paragraph requires the confirmation of the county board unless the board, by ordinance, elects to waive confirmation or unless the appointment is made under a civil service system competitive examination procedure established under Wisconsin Statutes section 59.52 (8) or chapter 63.  Any department head appointed by a county administrator under this paragraph may be removed at the pleasure of the county administrator unless the department head is appointed under a civil service system competitive examination procedure established under section 59.52 (8) or chapter 63.

3. Appoint the members of all boards and commissions where the statutes provide that such appointment shall be made by the county board or by the chairperson of the county board.  All appointments to boards and commissions by the county administrator shall be subject to the confirmation of the county board.