Tresa Templeton is going to get a two-day jump on her new job as Mercer County fiscal director.

Originally slated to start working next Wednesday, Ms. Templeton's starting date has been moved up to Monday. County commissioners approved the change Thursday.

When commissioners hired Ms. Templeton, of Sharon, in February, they approved a May 1 starting date. Ms. Templeton said she and commissioners agreed that a Monday start would be better, allowing her to get out of the starting blocks with a full work week instead of just three days.

Ms. Templeton, who will earn $52,702 this year, has been spending time at the courthouse looking over the shoulder of Dennis Lieb since she was hired.

At the height of the budget process in October, the county hired Lieb -- a Sharon certified public accountant -- to tackle fiscal chores on a temporary basis until a full-time replacement was named. Lieb was hired at $50 an hour following the resignations of Fiscal Director Jeff Swartzbeck and Deputy Fiscal Director Roberta Leonard.

Ms. Templeton, a certified public accountant and governmental manager, worked for 11 years as an auditor for the Sharon firm Black, Bashor & Porsch.

In other personnel moves Thursday, commissioners voted to create two new positions in the Children and Youth Services offices -- a fiscal operations director and a registered nurse.

Beverly A. Burrow, CYS director, said the fiscal job is new while the nurse position is making an in-house comeback.

Ms. Burrow said the department had its own registered nurse before it contracted out the service several years ago. She believes opting for an in-house registered nurse could save the county about $10,000 annually.

The new fiscal position is the product of a law passed two years ago requiring that states collect more data and provide better reporting on how federal aid to needy families is spent.

"The fiscal officer must review and determine eligibility for each child and certify the expenditures. Federal law now requires CYS to determine who is eligible (for the federal funding) and re-determine on a monthly basis all services being provided by CYS and also the Juvenile Probation Office in order to be compliant," Commissioner Olivia M. Lazor said. "This task is going to be huge because of the thousands of services provided each and every year."

The department has already interviewed candidates for both salaried positions, but has not made its selection.