Tennessee § 54-7-109 - Duties of chief administrative officer.

§ 54-7-109. Duties of chief administrative officer.

The chief administrative officer shall be the head of the highway department and shall have general control over the location, relocation, construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance of the county road systems of the county, including roads designated as county roads under § 13-3-406 and including bridges and ferries, but not including roads and bridges under the supervision of the department of transportation or a municipality. It is the duty of the chief administrative officer to employ qualified administrative personnel as required to handle all administrative functions, including maintenance of financial records, inventory of equipment, supplies, and materials, preservation of maintenance records, maintenance of the official county road list, and all other functions necessary for the operation of the highway department. The chief administrative officer is authorized to determine the total number of employees of the highway department, to determine personnel policies, hours of work, to establish job classifications, and to establish policies and wages within the classifications. The compensation established by the chief administrative officer should be in keeping with the compensation paid for similar services in the county and surrounding area. Acts 1974, ch. 738, § 8; 1977, ch. 369, §§ 1, 2; modified; T.C.A., § 54-1009; Acts 1981, ch. 180, §§ 1, 3; impl. am. Acts 1981, ch. 264, § 12; Acts 2012, ch. 689, § 4. Amendments. The 2012 amendment, effective January 1, 2013, rewrote (a) and (b), which read: “(a) The chief administrative officer, except in those counties with elected road commissioners or county councils wherein the general control and authority provided by this subsection (a) remains as provided by private or general act, shall be the head of the county highway department and shall have general control over the location, relocation, construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance of the county road systems of the county, including roads designated as county roads under § 13-3-406 , and including bridges and ferries, but not including roads and bridges under the supervision of the department of transportation; provided, that the county road system shall not include roads designated as county roads under § 13-3-406 in counties having a population, according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census, of:not less than nor more than 12,550 12,60013,600 13,70014,800 14,90060,250 60,350“(b) It is the duty of the chief administrative officer to employ a qualified secretary and other office personnel as required to handle all correspondence, maintain accurate records of receipts and expenditures, equipment, supplies, materials, maintenance performed, and other items necessary for the operation of the county highway department.”; and, in (c), deleted “county” preceding “highway department” in the first sentence, and substituted “the compensation paid” for “that paid” in the second sentence. Effective Dates. Acts 2012, ch. 689, § 11. January 1, 2013. Attorney General Opinions. Jurisdiction and Maintenance of County Roads in State Forests. OAG 15-50, 2015 Tenn. AG LEXIS 48 (6/8/15).