County Clerk Completes Training to Become Certified Public Administrator

DeKalb County Clerk James L. (Jimmy) Poss is among county officials across the state who have earned status as a Certified Public Administrator after completing the County Officials Certificate Training Program (COCTP).
COCTP is a comprehensive training program administered by the University of Tennessee (UT) County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) in cooperation with the Tennessee County Services Association and the County Officials Association of Tennessee
The program is designed to provide specialized, technical and managerial training to elected officials and their employees in order to help them run their office more effectively. It also offers a comprehensive knowledge of the inner workings of county government. CTAS believes that a broader understanding of the mechanics of county government will afford COCTP graduates a better knowledge of the county as an entity, which will help them to better serve their constituency. Graduates of the COCTP will obtain a thorough understanding of county government and be designated with the title of Certified Public Administrator.
“Once participants go through the County Officials Certified Training Program and complete the process they become a certified public administrator,” said Ben Rodgers, CTAS County Government Consultant. “The training gives participants a good knowledge of what it takes to be in county government and how to run offices and be involved with the county commission and all the legislative branches. After everything is said and done its eighty hours of training to become certified,” he said.
“Jimmy did a great job. He is a great guy. I know they bragged on him from the training he went through. He learned a lot and I am proud of him,” Rodgers added.
Participants must complete four of the
10 core classes.
Core classes include:
• Audit
• Capital Budgeting
• Debt Management
• Ethics
• Financial Issues
• Legal Issues – for each Elected Office
• Operating Budget
• Personnel
• Purchasing
• Risk Management
Once completed the individual is recognized as a Certified Public Administrator for their county.
In order to retain the designation of Certified Public Administrator, participants are required to complete 16 hours of continuing education each fiscal year to maintain their certification.