Fresno County Clerk Victor Salazar said Monday he is retiring in 10 days, leaving with three years to go on his term.

The decision puts the county in a bind less than five months before a big election -- and at least two county supervisors aren't happy about it.

"He was elected to a very important job and he quit," said Supervisor Debbie Poochigian, who is the incoming board chairman. "He didn't retire. He quit. And he gave us two weeks' notice with a major presidential election in June. Is he kidding?"

Supervisor Susan Anderson, who preceded Salazar as the county clerk, is frustrated, too.

"He's put the election in our lap," Anderson said.

Salazar, who has run county elections since he took office in January 2001, said a combination of factors led to his decision. Chief among those: his age -- he turned 65 in November; "health concerns" that he wouldn't specify; and the deteriorating county budget that has forced a 60% cut to his staff.

"It's often said that you know when it's time to retire," he said. "It's time."

With his departure planned for Jan. 19, the immediate question for the county is: What now?

Anderson said county staff is "frantically researching options." She said Salazar's decision was so sudden that it can't be put on today's Board of Supervisors agenda for discussion.

Supervisor Phil Larson said consolidating departments is a possibility.

In 2009, supervisors explored combining the Clerk and Assessor-Recorder offices. County officials said then that a 1966 local ballot measure gave the authority to combine offices.

Salazar promoted that option himself Monday, saying 75% of California's 58 counties have some combination of the clerk, assessor and recorder positions.

He said the county can save $560,000 over the final three years of his term if it eliminates his position. That includes all forms of compensation, not just salary.

But Anderson called that "spin."

She said somebody must handle elections. If it's not done by the clerk, then the county must hire a department manager, she said.

Anderson said there may not be time to get a leader in place for the run-up to the June primary. Instead, she said, the county may have to hire consultants to run the election.

"It may cost more," she said.

Salazar was picked from a field of 48 applicants in 2001 to serve the remaining two years of Anderson's term after she was elected to the Board of Supervisors.

The following year, Salazar easily won re-election with almost 67% of the vote against challenger David Hogenson. He then went unchallenged in 2006 and 2010 re-election bids.

Because of budget cuts, Salazar eliminated and consolidated polling sites before the November 2010 election. The decision caused thousands of voters to wait in long lines.

Salazar and the Board of Supervisors pointed fingers. The county grand jury found some shortcomings in the way Salazar's office handled the election, but blamed the county's administrative officer and Board of Supervisors for forcing Salazar's hand. (Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly reported that a grand jury report said Salazar shouldn’t have cut the number of election polling places in the November 2010 general election. The grand jury report found some shortcomings in the way Salazar's office handled the election, but did not go so far as to say Salazar shouldn't have cut the number of polling places.)

In retirement, Salazar said he plans to return to legal work.

He previously was managing attorney for Central California Legal Services, an organization that provides legal aid to low-income residents.

Salazar said he plans to reactivate his law license and use it to do volunteer work for charitable organizations. Employment law was his area of expertise.

"There is a lot of need out there," he said.

First, however, he plans to do nothing except relax and rejuvenate.