A move by some Haywood County commissioners to limit the broad authority of Haywood County Manager Jack Horton met resistance during a county board meeting Monday (March 21).

Chairman Mark Swanger and Commissioners Mary Ann Enloe and Kevin Ensley want a new job description for Horton. Horton has run the county with too much autonomy and too little oversight in recent years, according to Swanger, Enloe and Ensley.

The three commissioners say he informs commissioners of county issues largely on a need-to-know basis. A proposed job description designed to temper the decision-making power afforded under Horton’s current job description was presented at the meeting.

Commissioners Kirk Kirkpatrick and Larry Ammons defended Horton.

“I don’t agree with most of what it says,” Ammons said. The proposal seemed like micromanaging by commissioners and was unnecessary, said Ammons.

Swanger said the corporate scandals witnessed in recent years were the result of laissez-faire boards of directors.

“I think engaged boards are becoming more of a trend,” Swanger said. “Being an engaged board is a healthy and responsible thing to do.”

“One person’s engaged board is another person’s micromanaging,” Ammons said. As former president of Haywood Savings Bank, Ammons answered to a board of directors for much of his career.

Ammons said the description would allow commissioners to put their“fingers on every little control, trying to pull the strings.”

“We have a $60 million budget. I think it is good government to have specific items we can point to,” Ensley said of the job description.

Enloe said she would welcome a job description that spelled out her employer’s expectations and removed guesswork.

Ammons said the proposed draft goes beyond a typical job description, which is broad and general in nature.

“Instead of being a typical description that spells out what you should be doing, this seems to spell out what you can’t do or how you should do things,” Ammons said.

Enloe asked Horton if he had problems with the job description. Horton said he understood that he serves at the pleasure of the board and would follow whatever job description was given to him.

Ammons said it could scare off applicants in the future, however.

“When we’re looking for a new person down the road, we could be limited,” Ammons said.

Enloe said if the county ever needed another manager, she would want someone willing to follow the proposed job guidelines.