(1) The chief administrative officer shall be the head of the highway department and shall have general control over the location, relocation, construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance of the county road systems of the county, including roads designated as county roads under § 13-3-406 and including bridges and ferries, but not including roads and bridges under the supervision of the department of transportation or a municipality.
(2) It is the duty of the chief administrative officer to employ qualified administrative personnel as required to handle all administrative functions, including maintenance of financial records, inventory of equipment, supplies, and materials, preservation of maintenance records, maintenance of the official county road list, and all other functions necessary for the operation of the highway department.
(3) The chief administrative officer is authorized to determine the total number of employees of the highway department, to determine personnel policies, hours of work, to establish job classifications, and to establish policies and wages within the classifications. The compensation established by the chief administrative officer should be in keeping with the compensation paid for similar services in the county and surrounding area.