DUTIES OF THE ROAD SUPERINTENDENT

Duties. In counties not under the CUHL, the duties of highway officials are determined by private act or county or metropolitan charter. In counties under the CUHL, the CAO has certain duties that cannot be displaced by private act. For example, the CAO determines the number of employees and establishes personnel policies, compensation of employees and hours of work, so long as the budget is not exceeded. Also, the CAO may employ legal counsel or solicit the use of counsel retained by the county to prosecute or defend litigation concerning the county highway department. The CAO submits to the county legislative body, and to the Tennessee department of transportation, an annual work program for the use of state_aid funds. The CAO supervises and controls the machinery, equipment, tools and supplies of the department and must complete an inventory within 60 days of taking office which must be
updated annually. The CAO must ensure that equipment belonging to the county road department is clearly marked. The CAO must file
with the county legislative body an annual listing of all roads included in the county highway system. This listing must include a detailed summary of all changes from the previous listing and recommendations for classifying the roads, adding roads, or removing roads from the system. Under the CUHL, the CAO also determines work priorities and general highway policy, except in those counties with a popularly elected highway commission.

Other Matters. Since office management is an important matter for a CAO or highway official, the official should be informed of personnel procedures and both state and federal laws. Also, the CAO or highway official should have a basic understanding of potential liability, including both personal liability and county liability, and of the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act. Every county official should be familiar with the conflict of interests and disclosure laws applicable to their offices. CTAS discusses these topics at the county officials orientation program.