The Benton County Commissioners approved a 12-month contract this month for communication services with Lane County.

The county will pay $16,400 to Lane County for the work of public information officer Melinda Kletzok, who will work one day a week for Benton County.

Linda Modrell, chairwoman of the Benton commissioners, said the contract would restore some of the communication services that were lost when the former county spokeswoman departed early last year. Modrell said sharing a portion of a neighboring county's staff was a cost-effective way to provide such services.

"We recognize the importance of communicating with the public, who want access to news and information about Benton County and its proceedings," Modrell said in a news release.

Commissioners have said that the results of a public opinion survey following voters' rejection of the county's health and safety levy renewal in September indicated that people didn't know enough about the services the tax increase would have funded.

A pollster told the commissioners that one of the reasons the levy failed was that the county didn't have a good communication strategy to inform the public about the measure. Commissioners are considering asking voters a second time to renew the levy, possibly in the November election.

The county is also in the process of an administrative reorganization that will begin when County Administrator John Anderson departs for a new job in Troutdale after next week. The commissioners in February announced that they would split the administrator job into two new jobs and that Anderson's position would end June 30.

The other new positions have a narrower scope than county administrator, and will pay less than the county administrator's salary.

The first new job to be filled would be a manager of administrative services. That person would oversee information and resource management, human resources, the budget and finance offices and possibly the Commission on Children and Families and the records and elections offices.

The second job to be filled would be a position that would support policy development, communications and manage cross-county issues.