In a surprise move tonight, the Oconee County Board of Commissioners appointed Jeff Benko to serve as county administrative officer and Wes Geddings as finance director, effective tomorrow.

Benko currently is serving as finance director, and Geddings is assistant finance director.

These are the two most important staff positions in the county, with both the administrative officer and finance director reporting directly to the Board of Commissioners. All department heads except the finance director report to the administrative officer.

Benko replaces Alan Theriault, who took early retirement on July 31. On July 24, the BOC voted to allow Theriault to return to work at 40 percent of normal full-time work schedule following a 30-day retirement separation.

For more detail on the appointment and a short video of the BOC action, go to Oconee County Observations.