In an executive session Nov. 1, the Lincoln County Commissioners discussed separating the duties of the directors of the Emergency Management Agency and the Lincoln County Communications Department. County Administrator Carrie Kipfer reported the results afterward.

Both positions are currently held by Tod Hartung.  Kipfer said it had been clear for a while that the situation wasn’t working well for a variety of reasons. “There might be two meetings for each agency at the same time, and Tod could only attend one,” she said. “These are really two different jobs. One is a day-to-day management job, and the other is more far reaching and involves planning for the future.”

The county will be posting both jobs, Kipfer said. Hartung is welcome to apply for either position, she said. “I don’t think we should be suggesting that any job will automatically go to any particular person, or look like it is automatically going to anyone,” she said. “That is why any employee can apply to either position.”

A call to Hartung was not immediately returned.