Citing financial responsibility and reorganization, Hideout has eliminated its town administrator role, releasing Jan McCosh from a position she held for nearly eight years.  McCosh was apparently told of her termination on June 11. That’s when the town held its June council meeting. In a pub lic hearing on July 9, McCosh said she was terminated due to “alleged reorganization” and said it was retaliatory for pointing out mismanagement of taxpayer resources. Hideout Mayor Ralph Severini, who is known for his background working with Amazon Web Services, had no comment regarding McCosh’s claims and said it was a business decision and a smart choice for the town.  “There’s 140 towns below 10,000 (residents). Almost, literally, none of them have town administrators,” Severini said.  Hideout is a small yet rapidly growing town in Wasatch County. Projections place the current population at just over 1,700 residents, though the 2020 census recorded just over 922 residents.  McCosh said she had a significant hand in acquiring a recent $150,000 Utah Department of Transportation grant for multi-modal transportation planning.  “I’m proud of what we have built together,” McCosh said. “Working for the public has been more than rewarding. Being in service of my fellow man has brought serious joy, despite the challenging work.” Severini said the town is open to all possibilities when asked what Hideout would do if a part-time town administrator is required to handle responsibilities in the future.  “If our population begins to move up, we have new dynamics. Then I would say we should all get together and look at it just like you’re in business,” Severini said. “Right now, I think we’ve concluded that the town administrators don’t necessarily fit towns our size and it’s redundant.” Severini will assume the majority of responsibilities previously handled by the town administrator. He will have support from existing town staff.  The town administrator position oversaw day-to-day administrative operations and had a wide range of responsibilities, including preparing council agendas, staff reports and meeting materials. The position was also in charge of administering the town’s budget; coordinating with town staff, department heads and professional consultants; implementing new town policies; coordinating intergovernmental relationships; and overseeing capital projects, infrastructure initiatives and other special projects. McCosh made several serious allegations during her public comment on July 9. She claimed she was terminated after a developer partnered with the town asked Severini to eliminate McCosh’s position. She added that the termination was retaliatory.  “I had pointed out on several instances to council members, financial staff, our budget resident consultant, legal counsel and others that there was gross financial mismanagement of taxpayer resources happening,” McCosh said.  The town of Hideout provided a prepared statement following McCosh’s termination. Severini said he had no comment beyond the released statement when asked to verify McCosh’s claims.  “The town appreciates Jan McCosh’s dedication and service to Hideout. After careful consideration, the Town Council and mayor made the fiscal decision to reorganize administrative responsibilities and reduce executive administrative costs,” the statement reads. “This unanimous decision reflects the town’s commitment to responsible budget management and long-term financial planning.” The statement reiterates that municipalities of a similar size in Utah do not employ full-time town administrators.  “We are grateful for Jan’s contributions to the town and wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” the statement reads.  The post Hideout eliminates town administrator position appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less