Freeborn County received nearly 30 applications to fill its open administrator position before the job listing closed Friday.

“We’re pretty pleased with it,” said interim Freeborn County Administrator Kelly Callahan. He called five candidates “outstanding,” and he said 10 to 12 of the 29 applications fit the qualifications for the position. Names of the applicants are not available, per the Data Practices Act.

Callahan hopes to hire an administrator by the end of this month, but he said a new county administrator will likely not be in place until mid- to late-August. The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners plan to discuss the candidates Tuesday.

“We’ll see what the board wants to do with that,” he said.

The job opening came after John Kluever, former Freeborn County administrator, resigned in May after he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated in Albert Lea.

A new administrator is expected to be hired with an initial salary that ranges from near $90,000 to approximately $130,000.

In the job posting for the administrator position, Freeborn County requested candidates know the principles and practices of public administration, organizational theory and management; the fundamentals, principles and practices of public budgeting, finance and accounting; operations, trends, best practices, functions and issues faced by county government; relevant state, local or federal laws and guidelines pertaining to county management and administration operations; and the principles and practices of supervision and personnel management.

County officials want applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, political science or human resource management; a master’s degree and eight years of experience in public administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience to perform the job.