MARIETTA — County Manager David Hankerson has agreed on the salary amounts for Cobb’s new public safety and public services directors.

The county also plans to start advertising this week for a new county attorney to fill the slot vacated by Dorothy Bishop, who retired on Dec. 31 after serving in the role for 19 years.

New public safety director Jack Forsythe will be paid $137,500, while new public services agency director Jackie McMorris will be paid $130,000, county spokesman Robert Quigley said.

County Chairman Tim Lee said the salaries are in line with what was paid to their predecessors.

“We’ve got two talented folks at reasonable investments,” Lee said.

The Board of Commissioners authorized Hankerson to begin negotiating the salaries for the two new hires earlier this month.

Forsythe was hired to replace former public safety director Mickey Lloyd, who resigned in July 2010 after he was accused of embellishing his military career.

The county’s fire chief, Sam Heaton, stepped in to serve as the interim director. Heaton also applied for the permanent job, as did 911 director Tony Wheeler.

Forsythe is in charge of the 710 employees in the Cobb Police Department, the 683 employees in the Cobb Fire Department, the 125 employees in the county’s 911 unit and the 53 staff members in the animal-control unit.

He previously served in executive roles with NASA and FEMA/Homeland Security.

The public services director, now held by McMorris, oversees five departments: elections; parks and recreation; libraries; senior services; and extension services. That position became vacant when Bob Ash retired in 2010.

McMorris previously worked as the former chief of staff of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Lee said the slot was deliberately left open while the Citizen Oversight Committee was conducting its review of the county government.

“The Citizen Oversight Committee found that we had too many direct reports to the county manager’s office, causing him to be not as effective as he could be, to be more reactive than proactive, and they recommended that be addressed through the reappointment of the two agency directors,” Lee said.

As for the county attorney position, Lee said he hopes to have a new one hired by the Board of Commissioners in the next 90 days. Lee said he and Hankerson will form a committee in the next few weeks to review applications and bring forth a recommendation.

“I will use the strength and wisdom and intuitiveness of the county manager’s office to assist in that hire,” he said.

While Bishop was paid a salary of $156,165 as county attorney, Quigley said there is no defined salary range or starting salary for the position.