Fulton Co., IL – There is a new administrator for Fulton County. He has a long track record in government work, including a stint as Macomb city administrator.
Mike Hays begins the job next month after the county board agreed during its September meeting to hire him.
Hays most recently worked for the PAR Group, which is a public management consultant business. Before that, he worked in Macomb for more than four years. He's also been a city manager, a city planner, and a community development director for towns in Illinois and Iowa.
Hays says this will be his first job for a county. He says it will present a new professional challenge.
"First of all, it's a different sort of setting. You have a great number of elected officials to work with," says Hays. "There are some functional areas that will be new to me."
Hays will be the second person to hold the administrator position in Fulton County. The job was created less than two years ago.
Hays will be paid $72,500. He knows he will have to win over those on the county board who believe the county can function without spending money on an administrator.
"One of the things I'll have to do is prove my value to the organization," says Hays. "(I can do that) by helping them do their jobs to the best of their abilities."
Hays says one of the issues facing Fulton County is the future of the county-owned nursing home. Hays says there will be an advisory referendum on whether the county should continue to operate the home or sell it to the private sector.
Hays also plans to help the county with economic development. "One thing that Fulton County enjoys that no other community enjoys is its location," says Hays. "It's close to Peoria. It has a potential new transportation network with Route 336. I think those are things to build upon."