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Schuylkill County News

Schuylkill County Government Back to Square One on Search for New Finance Director

Two candidates recently backed out

Schuylkill County government is having a hard time replacing its retired Finance Director.

Paul Buber retired from that job late last year. And the County Commissioners have approved contracts for Buber to continue in that role on an as-needed basis. That basis, so far this year, is regularly needed.

According to Chairman Larry Padora, the search for Buber’s replacement hit a snag recently when two prospective replacements declined to take the job.

“We thought we had somebody but now we’re back to square one,” Padora told The Canary last week.

He said one candidate ended up taking a job elsewhere. Padora said that person was more into the administrative side of government operations, not the finances, but believed they could have fit themselves into the Finance Director role.

Another candidate, Padora believes, got offered more money to stay in their current job.

“We’re reaching out to other candidates,” he said.

Padora did say that the County is not, at least not in the short term, considering renewing its contract with Berks County-based Hubric Resources, a third-party Human Resources firm, that it’s used recently to do head-hunting services for job candidates.

That firm charges a premium and Padora said that the County is actually still using a list of prospective candidates prepared by Hubric as the search for his replacement continues.

“I’m not saying we might not have to go back to a Hubric to do a search again. We’re reaching out to all the candidates that they gave us and we’re doing it ourselves,” Padora added.

A qualified candidate for Finance Director at the Courthouse would be a CPA or someone with a strong banking background. The problem with that is two-fold, Padora said. There are fewer and fewer candidates and those that remain are making more money that the County is going to be able to pay.

Padora believes the money the County is offering a new Finance Director isn’t chump change either. He said it’s likely around $95,000 annually.

“Every accounting firm is scrambling to get accountants, so they have to offer them so much money,” he said.

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