It will apparently take three to pull the county out of the fiscal fire -- at least for the time being.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday named John Cullen, longtime head of Employment and Human Services, to replace retiring County Administrator John Sweeten.

Guiding Cullen will be Sweeten's predecessor, financial sharpshooter Phil Batchelor.

The supervisors agreed to pay Batchelor $225 an hour to mentor Cullen and to tap the county's fiscal structure for cracks. His contract is effective immediately.

"That was a first step in bringing in a top-rate management team," said Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond.

The county has been hemorrhaging money, partly due to dwindling state funds and partly due to huge pension payouts. Auditor Steve Ybarra told the supervisors in December that the county must stop using reserve funds to pay ongoing costs, warning that otherwise the fund would run dry by the end of fiscal year 2006-07.

Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier of Concord said the county recovery will be painful. "We'll have to cut, I think, $20 million, $30 million, and I think we should start cutting now."

A tandem management team might be uncommon, but the times demand "extra insurance," DeSaulnier said. While Cullen manages the county's second-largest department, DeSaulnier noted, this is his first outing as a county administrator.

Cullen will officially take over from Sweeten on March 2, although all three men will work together on the transition. Cullen said he looks forward to working with the board on "some very, very severe issues."

"Is excited the right word? Maybe," Cullen said. "Apprehensive? Yes. There's a lot of emotion going through me right now."

Batchelor, who was county administrator for 18 years, brought Contra Costa out of dire financial straits in the early 1980s and left it with the highest credit ratings possible. Since retiring in 2001, he has marketed his financial savvy to cities and counties in need of help, including Richmond and Yolo County. He continues to co-pilot Yolo County's new administrator and is also under contract to Santa Clara County.

His contract maxes out at 155 hours, but it can be extended or expanded if the need arises, Gioia said. "Phil is uniquely qualified in his knowledge of Contra Costa and of finance issues."

A hiring committee consisting of Gioia and Supervisor Mary Piepho of Discovery Bay will draw up a contract with Cullen. The board will likely vote on it Jan. 17.

Since 1995, Cullen has overseen a $400 million budget and a staff of 1,600. His department provides services to children and families, seniors and welfare recipients. He headed up the human services agency in Merced County for 10 years before taking the Contra Costa job.

At the helm of Contra Costa County, he will handle a $1.5 billion budget and 6,700 workers. He takes over the job as the county is negotiating with 11 of its 15 public employee unions. Contracts lapsed in October.