The Warren County Board of Supervisors on Monday previewed a contract it will be asked to approve in order for the Warren County Port Commission to use a headhunter to find its next executive director.

The port commission is without a director since the resignation of Wayne Mansfield this summer, who left to take a similar position in Texas.

At the supervisor’s work session, John Smith, county administrator, walked supervisors through the details of the $40,000-plus contract with Jorgenson Consulting of Greensboro, N.C.

“It’s $40,000-plus expenses,” Smith said.

Those expenses include communication, advertising, background checks on potential candidates, travel expenses for employees of the consulting firm as well as potential candidates.

Several supervisors expressed concern over what seems to them to be a potential for open-ended expenses from the firm.

However, county attorney Blake Teller said, “I don’t think it’s as bad as it reads.”

He said the contract caps communication costs at $1,050 and background checks on potential candidates at two for a maximum of $350 each.

Also, he said the firm’s advertising would most likely be limited to two publications at a fee of $500 each.

“It’s not as bad as it first appears,” Teller said.

Travel expenses would include flying candidates in to the community and putting them up, as well as paying the travel expenses of representatives of Jorgenson, should they need to travel here.

Teller did not the contract between the port commission and Jorgenson does not have an insurance clause.

“I would want them to provide proof of a $1 million general liability insurance policy,” Teller said.

Supervisor John Arnold asked, “Would we pay for that, too?”

Teller replied, “No. They should pay for their own insurance.”

The funds to pay Jorgenson would come from the port commission’s budget, Smith said.