Hamilton County faces unprecedented number of retirements

22 employees with 686 combined years of service set to depart

“I’ve got one month, 10 days, 13 hours, and 27 minutes left until I retire,” boasted Hamilton County Surveyor Kenton Ward. “I’m keeping track on an app!”

Ward isn’t alone: 22 Hamilton County employees with a combined 686 years of service to the community are set to retire at the end of the year.

“This is one of our largest retirements in history, if not the largest,” said Sheena Randall, Director of Human Resources for Hamilton County. “A lot of that is driven by the Baby Boomer generation, many of whom have worked for us for decades.”

Like Ward, who started his career with the county at age 19 while still in college studying construction technology. He has served as the county’s surveyor since 1977.

“I’ve been with the county for 51 years now,” he said. “I’ve stayed all these years because I love the work. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served this community, but now I’m looking forward to traveling the world with my wife.”

Randall said succession planning has been a priority for her department as it forecasted this exodus several years ago. They’ve worked closely with department heads to identify future leaders and prepare them to step into the soon-to-be-vacated roles.

“We’ve made a significant investment in workforce development, and we’re excited about the up-and-coming employees who are ready to take on the challenges that come with these retirements,” Randall said. “We pride ourselves on providing growth opportunities, including extensive training, so our employees feel supported and valued and want to build a career here.”

Kim Rauch, Executive Assistant and Office Manager for the Hamilton County Auditor, is also retiring after nearly three decades of service. She joined the county when it was experiencing rapid growth and became a key figure in the Auditor’s Office.

“I’ve had the privilege of working under three different auditors and it has been a true pleasure to serve my community, but I’m looking forward to not having to ‘adult’ anymore!” she said.

Ward and Rauch both point to the county’s competitive benefits and wages as well as healthy work environment as reasons for their longevity.

“Hamilton County has always been a wonderful place to work, and our strong history of employee retention speaks to that,” Randall said. “These employees have been the backbone of our workforce and we’ll be sad to see them go, but we hope they enjoy their well-earned retirement years.”

2025 Hamilton County Retirees

Auditor’s Office

• Robin Mills, 44 years
• Dawn Coverdale, 36 years
• Lee Graham, 30 years
• Kim Rauch, 28 years
• Darla Workman, 25 years

Assessor’s Office

• Dixie Packard, 30 years
• Lore Rieke, 26 years
• Linda Swickard, 22 years

Buildings & Grounds

• Todd Rees, 29 years

Health Department

• Tammy Gleber, 21 years

Highway Department

• Merv Hair, 41 years
• Jim Neal, 28 years
• Kevin Morgan, 25 years

Information Systems Services

• Diana Cleland, 27 years
• Connie Garrett, 24 years

Judicial Services

• Shellie Watson, 37 years
• Joni Haymaker, 25 years

Prosecutor’s Office

• Lynett Duvall, 44 years

Recorder’s Office

• Cheryl Hobson, 20 years

Sheriff’s Office

• Peter Jakositz, 30 years

Surveyor’s Office

• Kent Ward, 51 years
• Jerry Liston, 43 years