La Plata County commissioners on Tuesday named Kevin Hall, the deputy county manager, to serve as interim county manager beginning May 31. County Manager Chuck Stevens announced last month that he had accepted a job in Maryland and would resign his position effective June 10.
According to a plan to search for Stevens successor, also approved by the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday, the county hopes to have three finalists identified by August, and a new manager hired sometime in September.
Hall is a known commodity to the county commissioners. He has spent about 30 years in the public sector between the county and the city of Durango. In December 2022, Hall was recruited by Stevens to temporarily take over leadership of the county’s Community Development Department, which was in need at the time of strong leadership.
Six months later, Stevens hired Hall to be his deputy.
“He has a great reputation and a great style,” Commissioner Clyde Church said of Hall from the dais Tuesday.
Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton called him a “quintessential public servant.”
Hall declined to speculate about whether he would apply for the county manager position in a permanent capacity.
The county manager is the chief administrative officer for the organization who manages its departments and divisions and reports directly to the BOCC. The recommended salary range is $186,000 to $230,000.
The county will post the position Friday and the application will remain open for one month.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
