Supervisors Terminate Interim Administrator’s Contract ‘Effective Immediately’ Before Delving Into Variety of Action Items

The June 23rd open “Regular Meeting” of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, convened at 6 p.m., got off to a somewhat irregular start out of the 5 p.m. Closed Session. That Closed Session was convened to discuss the status of the County Administrator position. That open meeting irregular start was the passage of a motion by Tony Carter, seconded by John Stanmeyer, to terminate the contract of Interim County Administrator David Martin “effective immediately”.

Passage of that motion by a 3-2 vote, Cheryl Cullers and Hugh Henry dissenting, led to Martin rising from the Administrative staff table and departing directly from the meeting room. No farewells or thank-yous from the board or Martin.

That divided action was followed by unanimous approval of Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows appointment to fill the Interim Administrator’s position, also immediately. That motion by Carter, with a second by Richard Jamieson, approved Meadows’ appointment to the Interim position at an annual salary of $181,500. Information from the County website indicated that Dr. Martin would be paid about $200,000 per year if he were in the position for a year. Dr. Martin’s hiring was announced on September 18, 2025. So, he was on the job little over 9 months.

Shot of Interim County Administrator David Martin, left, and County Attorney Jason Ham at Admin staff table prior to start of 6 p.m. regular, open meeting. Below, Deputy and now Interim County Administrator Jane Meadows, with attorney Ham at the staff table, after Martin’s contract was terminated ‘immediately’ out of closed session. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

However, information gathered was that Dr. Martin had alerted the board that, for personal reasons, he would have had to resign by around mid-August. So, it appears the movement on the Interim Administrator’s position may have largely been a cost-saving decision, even if that savings will only be in place for about 7 weeks. Board discussion also indicated concerns about reinstituting a contractual search program.

As we recall previous conversations about filling the vacant administrator’s position in the wake of Ed Daley’s departure, Meadows was not interested in filling the vacant position, at least on a permanent basis. And her appointment as Interim County Administrator would seem to indicate that status has not changed.

Other Business

Once the supervisors got down to the original agenda business, they faced eight public hearings and four New Business items. Royal Examiner will cover details on those items in a related story.

The board didn’t only face a personnel decision on Tuesday. They faced a variety of funding, permitting, and zoning issues that led to sometimes long discussions. One of those discussions involved Sheriff Crystal Cline presenting potential paths forward to attract qualified deputies, competing with surrounding communities that direct considerably more revenue to funding their law enforcement efforts.

Those items included on the New Business side were:

1. New Business
2. Chester Gap Staffing Agreement and Funding Allocation — Approved by a split 3-2 vote, Carter and Jamieson dissenting.

The other three New Business items all related to Public School Funding variables, and were approved by unanimous 5-0 votes:

2. Memorandum of Understanding – Lump Sum Funding (WCSB);
3. Memorandum of Understanding – Meals Tax (WCSB);
4. Memorandum of Understanding – Carryover Funds (WCSB).
5. Public Hearings included:
6. CUP2026-04-01 – Mobile Home Park – 123 Brinklow Road – A request for a conditional use permit for an expansion of an existing mobile-home park.
7. Z2026-04-01 – Zoning Text Amendment for Rest Home in the Rural Residential (RR) Zoning District –
8. R2026-04-01 – Rezoning from Residential-One (R-1) to Commercial (C) – A rezoning application to amend the Warren County Zoning Map to rezone 3.82 acres across 28 parcels from Residential-One (R-1) to Commercial (C).
9. CUP2026-04-02 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – 691 Harris Drive
10. Ordinance Authorizing the Payment of Employee Bonus
11. Budget Amendment exceeding 1% of total expenditures – Alisa Scott, Finance Director, Jon Martz, Director of Social Services

Two items, I-6 and I-7, were either removed from the agenda or tabled for future action.

Watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting of June 23, 2026