County moving to secure permanent administrator

Sutter County has been operating without a permanent county administrator since Scott Mitnick resigned in mid-february. Officials are hoping to lock a permanent replacement in over the coming months.

“We haven’t started a formal search yet,” said Sutter County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mat Conant. “I cannot speak for the rest of the board until we formally discuss it, but the feeling I get is that board members are content with the job Steve (Smith) has done.”

Steve Smith has been serving as interim county administrator since Mitnick resigned earlier this year. He has been with the county for about 10 years. Conant credited Smith for his work progressing the Casa de Esperanza reconstruction project and on the former Kmart building, which will be the future home of Health and Human Services once renovated.

Conant said the board’s main focus on finding a permanent replacement is finding someone with experience.

At today’s board meeting, supervisors will consider appointing County Counsel Jean Jordan as labor negotiator for the county in its effort to select a permanent replacement. “To me, it doesn’t matter how long the process takes as long as we do what’s right. I’d rather we spend the time considering our options before making a long-term decision,” Conant said.

He expects officials to have a better idea on a permanent replacement in the coming weeks.

Mitnick resigned from the position to join the private sector for a better work-family balance, according to Appeal-democrat archives. He was the highest-paid county administrator in Sutter County history – according to Transparent California, Mitnick made $325,668 in total pay and benefits in 2017.