Steve Kozachik has been tapped to continue as Pima Animal Care Center’s director in an official role, the county announced Monday.
Kozachik, the former Tucson City Council member, had been serving as PACC’s interim director since Dec. 6.
Kozachik
Steve Kozachik
He will be the permanent director for PACC effective Sunday, Feb. 9, County Administrator Jan Lesher said in a memo.
“PACC is a large government enterprise and it needs someone heading it who understands government budgeting and how to get the most and best service out of every dollar,” Lesher is quoted as saying in the news release. “Steve is a strong leader who knows how to motivate people, and he leads by example. I can say from experience that he will be the first person in the building and the last person out every day.”
Kozachik told the Star he has accepted a formal offer but was not informed what his salary will be, and that county personnel was still working that out.
Mark Evans, a spokesman for the county, said Lesher was working out salary details Monday. He said the salary range for directors of county departments is anywhere from $94,141 to $186,825 annually.
Kozachik first joined the county in March last year after resigning from his city post to be Pima County’s “point of contact” in managing the Mosaic Quarter sports complex.
In October, Kozachik was tapped to be PACC’s interim director after former director Monica Dangler accepted a consulting position.
Lesher said in her Jan. 31 memo that when she appointed Kozachik in October to the interim role effective Dec. 6, “I indicated that we would be conducting a national search to hire a permanent director for PACC.”
However, after seven candidates were interviewed, “it became evident that our community would be served best by naming (Kozachik) the permanent Director for PACC,” Lesher said in her memo.
