By SCOTT RASMUSSEN

County reporter

It would appear the San Juan County Council will have yet another vacancy to fill within its inner sanctum.

Council Clerk Laura Tuttle last week handed in a letter of resignation notified the council of her intent to leave the job in 30 days.

But whether Tuttle’s pending departure comes to pass remains to be seen.

Council Chairman Howie Rosenfeld last week said that Tuttle, at the council’s request, agreed to stay on the job for 60 days rather than the 30 days she originally had intended. The council, he said, has not ruled out offering her a raise as a possible incentive to remain on the job.

Duties of the clerk include the preparation, scheduling and recording of council meetings, preparing weekly agendas, posting public notices, making travel arrangements for council members, legislative research and handling questions from the public.

Tuttle took over the position early last year after former clerk Amy Taylor quit to take on a similar post with the town of Friday Harbor. Former deputy council clerk Lisa Brown, who also joined the council staff early last year, resigned several months ago. Department assistant Maureen See and administrative Assistant Valerie Graham remain on the council staff.

Meanwhile, the council last week discussed whether – or to what degree – it should hand over day-to-day supervision of its staff to the county administrator. Councilman Bob Myhr, Lopez/Shaw, said giving the administrator too much control over council staff might compromise the separation of executive and legislative powers called for in the county charter. However, Rosenfeld countered that it’s unrealistic for members of the council, as part-time legislators, to oversee the daily performance of the clerk or its staff.