The county's new administrator knows his way around township and county government.

He is Charles E. Douts Jr., 53, longtime manager of West Hempfield Township and former chairman of the Lancaster County Planning Commission.

The County Commissioners this morning said they have chosen Douts, but did not formally appoint him. They won't formally hire him until after the county's salary board meets next week.

"Local government has been my entire career and I'm very proud for the opportunity to serve the residents of Lancaster County," Douts told the commissioners at their weekly meeting.

Douts was appointed the first manager of West Hempfield Township in 1989. He served as chairman of the county planning commission in 2005 and 2006.

"I feel that Charlie has all the skills to be an excellent county administrator," said Commissioner Craig Lehman. The other commissioners said similar things.

Jim Huber, a former county commissioner, took the floor to commend the commissioners' decision.

"(Douts') experience in local government over the years will be a real asset," Huber said.

Douts will replace Mark Esterbrook, who resigned in April after 13 months on the job.

Esterbrook, who earned $110,000 a year as administrator, will take over as director of the Community Action Program of Lancaster County next month.

As county administrator, Esterbrook followed Don Elliott, who took the post in the spring of 2004. Previously, Timothea Kirchner had held the position for eight years.

The commissioners had confined their search for a new administrator to the local area and advertised the job only on the county's Web site and in the Sunday News classifieds.

Douts, a Washington Boro native and current resident of the town, is a Penn Manor High School graduate.

He was public works director for York County's Springettsbury Township at the time he was hired as West Hempfield's first manager in October 1989.

Under Douts' leadership, West Hempfield has been considered by most observers to be a smoothly run suburban township, balancing its needs for growth with efforts to preserve its natural resources.

During Douts' tenure, the township's top accomplishments have included:

• Completing a new 54-acre park and passive recreation trail at the township's Lake Grubb.

• Becoming the first municipality to approve zoning specifically to encourage village-style growth.

• Attracting major businesses and development such as the new Jay Group headquarters.

Douts also has led efforts, as a private citizen, to develop the Blue Rock Heritage Center, which spotlights the local history of tiny Washington Boro.

Douts quickly took over day-to-day management responsibilities in West Hempfield in the late 1980s and initiated a long-awaited municipal building expansion project.

And as a former public-works director, he occasionally helped out by operating a snow plow.

Douts has an undergraduate degree in anthropology and archaeology, and a master's degree in urban and regional planning. Both degrees are from Penn State University.


Staff writer Jack Brubaker can be reached at jbrubaker@LNPnews.com or 291-8781.