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On Sept. 1, Colbert, 52, will replace the retiring Joe Tuss, 62, who was county administrator for more than five years.
Colbert said the county must deliver on promises of new infrastructure and workforce development investments made when county commissioners raised water and sewer rates 14 percent last year and recently voted to increase the retail sales tax rate 0.25 percent. County commissioners also raised the vehicle registration fee in the county by $5 this year.
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“We’ve got to implement the things we’ve asked the taxpayers for,” Colbert said. “When taxpayers support you, you’ve got to do what you said you were going to do.”
Tuss ends a 35-year career in local government — more than 17 with the county — that included the last five-plus years as the top administrator working with the same three Democratic county commissioners, Judy Dodge, Dan Foley and Debbie Lieberman.
“They’ve been nothing but absolutely supportive and have shown tremendous leadership and direction in terms of making sure the county is focused on the right things and moving in the right direction and given me the clear sense of the things they needed the entire organization to do in order to achieve the policy goals and the strategic initiatives,” Tuss said earlier this year.
With a five-year planning project called MCOFuture wrapped up, Tuss said the timing was right to turn over leadership to a new administrator before a new planning phase kicks in.
“We are really at the end of that cycle and so from my perspective, the commissioners really need a county administrator that’s going to be able to sit down with them and really work through what the next strategic work plan looks like,” he said. “That’s a three to five-year commitment at a minimum. So it’s really a good time for me to transition.”
During the last months of his tenure, Tuss shepherded through the retail sales tax increase that has now become an election issue for at least two Republican candidates this fall.
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Ohio State Rep. J. Todd Smith, a Republican, spoke against the sales tax increase at a news conference earlier this month. Smith’s 43rd District opponent in the fall is current Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley, who voted for the sales tax increase. Foley, a Democrat, decided to run for the Ohio House seat, leaving an open county commission seat.
Doug Barry, the Republican candidate for the open county commission seat, ran an unsuccessful referendum effort of the sales tax increase. Barry faces current Montgomery County Treasurer Carolyn Rice, a Democrat, this fall for Foley’s current seat.
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The sales tax increase goes into effect Oct. 1 and is expected to generate an additional $19.1 million. The cost per person in Montgomery County is estimated to be about $36 more a year. The new vehicle registration fee beginning Jan. 1 is expected to generate about $2 million for roadway improvements, but has also drawn fire from some Republicans.
Colbert will also inherit a county coping with the costs of lawsuits alleging mistreatment of inmates and overcrowding at the county jail. While one suit has gone to trial and four have been settled, at least eight other claims brought against jail staff are outstanding. About $1.4 million has been paid out so far, including $888,000 in settlements.
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County commissioners did not search far and wide and for Tuss’ replacement and interviewed few candidates before hiring Colbert internally, Lieberman said.
Colbert, currently Montgomery County’s assistant county administrator for Development Services, will oversee an overall budget of $892 million and 4,368 authorized workers. He will receive a base salary of $178,000, according to the county. In 2017, Colbert had a base salary of $119,442 and made $141,582 in gross pay. Gross 2017 compensation for Tuss was $202,408, according to the Dayton Daily News I-Team’s Payroll Project.
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