The executive powers of the County shall be vested in the County Administrator who shall, with the assistance of the various County Department heads, be responsible for the enforcement of this Charter, the County's legislative actions pursuant to Article II, and any General Laws applicable thereto.
It is the intent of Article II of this Charter to confer on the five members who perform the legislative functions of County Commissioners broad general legislative and investigative powers as are germane to the exercise of their legislative powers, but at the same time, by virtue of Article III, to retain to the Executive Branch of County government full control over County administration and of the administration of County services provided for in this Charter. Accordingly, this Charter seeks to establish clear lines between Article II legislative and Article III executive functions as follows: the five members who perform the legislative functions are to deal with individual Article III County employees only through the executive officials responsible for the overall executive management of the County's affairs as specified in this Article III. All routine contact with Article III County employees, all actions and communications concerning the administration of the County's government and provisions of services shall be from the legislative branch to and through the County's executive officials.
Nothing in the foregoing nor in this Charter shall be construed to prohibit informal, non-directive conversations of County Commissioners with County officials, nor the inquiry by the legislative branch into any act or problem of County administration. Any of the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners may require a report on any aspect of the government of the County at any time by making a request therefor to the County Administrator. The five members may, by majority vote, require the County Administrator to appear before them sitting as a committee of the whole and to bring before them such records and reports and such officials and employees of the County as the five members shall deem necessary to insure clarification of any legislative matter under study. The five may further vote to establish any number of its members as an ad hoc committee to consult with the executive branch to study any matter and to report thereon.
Unless the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners vote to appoint another; the County Administrator shall be the person then serving as Nantucket Town Administrator or Executive Secretary. The person so appointed shall, by education, experience and ability, be qualified to perform the duties established for the position. Such person need not be a resident of the County at the time of appointment but shall become a resident during the period of service to the County.
The County Administrator shall be responsible to the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners, for the efficient administration of the County government and the proper implementation of legislation adopted pursuant to Article II. The County Administrator shall have all the powers, rights and duties designated by the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners or as commonly associated with the office of chief administrative officer of a local government unit; and, in particular, in exercising the County's Article III powers, the County Administrator:
(a) 
may require reports from and may examine the records, accounts and operations of any agency of County government and shall recommend whatever actions or programs are deemed necessary or desirable for the County, the welfare of its residents and of visitors to the Islands;
(b) 
shall appoint the heads of all county administrative departments (other than those who are elected) with the advice and consent of the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners, and shall appoint all members of County committees and other County administrative personnel whose appointment is not prescribed elsewhere in this Charter; and may, except as may be provided by the General Laws or any applicable civil service regulations, at the Administrator's discretion remove, suspend or otherwise discipline any such appointee subject to the provisions of Article IV of this Charter; and may, subject to any applicable provisions of the General Laws, delegate to any department head the County Administrator's powers of appointment and removal of departmental employees;
(c) 
shall coordinate, with the Director of County Finance, the preparation, for submission to the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners, of a proposed annual operating budget and a capital budget, and any proposal for budget amendment; and shall establish the schedules and procedures to be followed by all County departments and agencies in connection therewith and shall coordinate, with the Director of County Finance, all phases of the budgetary process throughout each fiscal year;
(d) 
may be present at all meetings of the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners and may participate in all deliberations, without the right to vote;
(e) 
shall insure through the office of the various County department heads adequate supervision, direction and control of all County administrative departments and the care and maintenance of all County properties, institutions and agencies;
(f) 
shall organize the work of the County departments, subject to this Charter, the General Laws, and any administrative code adopted by the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners, and make any recommendations pertaining thereto;
(g) 
shall review, analyze and forecast trends of County services and programs of all County departments and other agencies and make reports and recommendations thereon;
(h) 
shall negotiate contracts for the County with the approval of the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners, including any County employment and union contracts;
(i) 
shall assure that all terms and conditions imposed in favor of the County or its inhabitants in any statute, franchise or contract are faithfully kept and performed;
(j) 
may order any County agency or department head to undertake tasks for any other County agency, on a temporary basis, if deemed necessary for proper and efficient administration;
(k) 
shall make recommendations to the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners for actions they might take for the improvement of the County and for the welfare of its residents and visitors to the Islands; and
(l) 
shall perform any other duties as may be required by this Charter, by County ordinance or by majority vote of the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners.
The following administrative positions and offices, all holders of which shall be charged with the implementation of County legislation adopted pursuant to Article II and with the enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth, shall be included in the Executive Branch:
(a) 
County Sheriff, Register of Probate, Clerk of the Courts & Register of Deeds.
Nothing in this Charter shall alter, change or affect the positions of Sheriff, Register of Probate, Clerk of the Courts or Register of Deeds, who shall continue to remain elected County officials and shall perform their duties in accordance with the general laws of the Commonwealth. Such officials shall provide such reports to the five members who perform the functions of County Commissioners or the County Administrator and shall coordinate through the County Administrator with other county departments as necessary or desirable for the County to exercise the powers and perform the duties given by this Charter.
(b) 
Clerk to the Five members performing the functions of County Commissioners.
The Clerk to the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners shall be the Clerk of the Nantucket Superior Court.
(c) 
Other County Officials.
Nantucket County offices which have counterpart Town offices as part of the Town of Nantucket shall be deemed to be filled ex officii by the person holding the counterpart Town office, including:
The Director of County Finance who shall be that person duly appointed and serving as Director of Municipal Finance for the Town of Nantucket.
The County Treasurer who shall be that person duly appointed and serving as the Town Treasurer of the Town of Nantucket.
The County Clerk created and established in Section 3.5 of this Charter shall be that person duly elected or appointed and serving as the Town Clerk of the Town of Nantucket. The Assistant County Clerk shall be that person duly elected or appointed and serving as the Assistant Town Clerk of the Town of Nantucket.
County Counsel shall be that person duly appointed and serving as Town Counsel for the Town of Nantucket.
The Department of County Finance shall be headed by the Director of County Finance. The Director may draw upon as needed the personnel and equipment of the office of Municipal Finance of the Town of Nantucket, and shall be responsible for the management of all financial aspects of County government, including:
(a) 
the preparation of financial statements and reports, including periodic reporting to appropriate agencies on the status of accounts;
(b) 
the receipt of all funds due the County or to be held by the County for other agencies;
(c) 
the management, investment and control of County funds;
(d) 
the expenditure of all such funds;
(e) 
the preparation of budgets for all County departments;
(f) 
the assistance to all other County departments and officials in any matter related to financial affairs;
(g) 
the supervision of all purchases of goods, materials, supplies and equipment and of contract administration, and to the extent that the Director deems necessary, maintenance of inventory controls;
(h) 
supervision of all data processing facilities; and
(i) 
such other matters as may be determined necessary by the five members performing the functions of County Commissioners.
There is hereby established the position and office of County Clerk, separate and distinct from the Clerk of the Courts and Clerk to the five members performing the function of County Commissioners, with the duties set forth in this Charter. The County Clerk shall have jurisdiction over all County records and, unless otherwise provided by law not to be a public record, shall assure that the same are available to the general public to the same extent as records of the Town of Nantucket. The County Clerk shall have jurisdiction over and may impress the County seal.
The Personnel Board of the County of Nantucket shall consist of those persons then serving as the Personnel Board of the Town of Nantucket in accordance with Chapter 264 of the Acts of 1979, which the General Laws of the Commonwealth; provided, however, that notwithstanding such law or any law to the contrary, the employees of the Sheriff's department shall be served by such statewide sheriffs' personnel board as may hereafter be designated by the General Court for sheriffs' employees statewide. Until such agency is designated, the five members serving the functions of County Commissioners shall act as the sheriff's personnel board for the employees of the County Sheriff's department.