Michael Curtis
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously approved Sherilyn Pickels as the Madison County Manager. Pickels served as the interim county manager from Wednesday, April 29 to Wednesday, Sept. 23 when she was confirmed by the board. She replaced Brian Kauffman who had been let go by the board.
As the county manager, her primary role is serving as a liaison between the BOCC and County Department Directors. Additionally, she identifies and addresses outreach regarding public activities for both residential and business issues, handling concerns, questions and comments. "As county manager, I understand that there is always room for improvement concerning the services our departments provide to the unincorporated areas of our county," Pickels said. "We continue to strive to be more efficient in order to make the best use of Madison County tax dollars."
"[Our goals are to] help promote Madison County as a business-friendly environment. We need to grow our economy through existing business expansion, locating new businesses here and creating quality jobs for our citizens.
"We have exceptional Fire Rescue, Volunteer Fire, Emergency Medical and Emergency Management Departments. I hope to continue to enhance those services so that response times are even lower. Timely notifications and information will continue to be sent out regarding any emergency or natural disaster that may impact our community.
"The employees we have working for Madison County make me proud. I expect our departments to continue to deliver excellent customer service in a professional and friendly manner. At the same time, I would like to see us improve our communication with the pubic on any changes to services which may affect them," said Pickels.
Pickels will further serve the day-to-day administrative support for the BOCC. "We are fortunate to be able to live and work in a small rural community where we can be great public servants to our citizens. Madison County is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. With the citizen's help, guidance from the Board of County Commissioners and the efforts of each employee, we can make Madison County even better," Pickels added.
The next meeting of the BOCC is Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 9 a.m. located at 229 SW Pinckney St. in Madison and will be open to the public.