By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch It appears likely that Eatonville will hire a public works director instead of a new town administrator. Mayor Mike Schaub said after the resignation Nov. 9 of administrator Doug Beagle that he was evaluating whether the town needed an administrator or someone to primarily be in charge of public works projects. Last week, he said "the need is more on the public works side,GÇ¥ and the job description is being finalized before the position is advertised for applicants early in 2016. The direction will influence the management structure at town hall. Without an administrator on the payroll, more of the administrative responsibilities could shift to Schaub. Generally, town administrators handle administrative and policy-related tasks. In Eatonville's strong-mayor form of government, the mayor has hiring and firing authority over employees and is responsible for the town's budget. Schaub's professional background is on the finance side. He works for the state in budget analyst and reporting roles. He also was Eatonville's treasurer before being elected mayor two years ago after pledging to help strengthen the town financially. Beagle's resignation, which Schaub said was prompted by "demands of the job,GÇ¥ left Eatonville without a town administrator for the first time in five years. The administrator's duties have been shared by town personnel, who also have been giving their input on how to fill the overall role, Schaub said. The town administrator position was listed at $110,943 in the salary schedule for 2016. If someone is hired at a lower salary, next year's budget would be amended. Beagle was hired by then-mayor Ray Harper in December 2010 to initially manage public works projects and the town's utilities. The job title and duties evolved into town administrator. Eatonville also had town administrators before 2010.
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