Citing a desire for long-term planning, Carroll County government officials reassigned administrators Gary Larrowe and Ronald Newman to new duties Monday night.

The Carroll County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to move Newman from his position of Interim Director of the Carroll County Public Service Authority (PSA) to assistant county administrator, where he will serve as Director of Planning and Landuse and work with subdivision policies and other duties related to long-range planning. During a joint session with the board of supervisors, the Carroll County PSA followed that motion with a unanimous vote to accept Larrowe as the Director of the PSA. Both moves went into effect April 14, and Larrowe will continue to serve as Carroll’s County Administrator.

Newman has previously served as Carroll’s assistant county administrator. Last year, the Board of Supervisors loaned him to the PSA to help the authority with a large number of new water and sewer projects in the county. In making the motion, Supervisor Sam Dickson said the board had decided to bring Newman back as a planning agent who will also work with subdivision policies, plats and other long-range planning duties. County Attorney Jim Cornwell said he felt it would be a good move for the county.

“We are in the process right now of revising our subdivision ordinance, which the process was started in 2000 or before. We are within a few months, hopefully, of getting it done. We also are going to have a need for Comprehensive Plan review and approval, and some other issues I think need to be addressed,” Cornwell said. “I think for that reason the Board of Supervisors would be wise to respectfully move Mr. Newman from his interim position and restore him to a position he always has had and always will be as assistant county administrator.”

After the meeting, Board of Supervisors’ Chairman David Hutchins said the move was made, in part, because it is the county’s goal to embark upon the development of a well-defined Comprehensive Plan. Dickson felt like the moves would benefit the county and its citizens.

“Ronald has been subdivision agent and he will be over the subdivision ordinance, a comprehensive plan, plus other things,” Dickson said. “A combination of what all Ronald will do will be very advantageous to the people of the county.”

Dickson said the idea of Larrowe serving as both Carroll County Administrator and Director of the PSA is not an uncommon thing in county government. Dickson noted that Jim Spencer, who spoke to the board about prisons a few months ago, serves both roles for Tazewell County.

“It was a move to make things more efficient,” Dickson said.