By Leah Justice

leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

 

Polk County has officially approved its consolidated human services agency (CHSA) with 18 members already committed to serve on the new board.

The new board, which includes all former members of the Polk County Department of Social Services Board, also includes professionals, consumers, and public at large members.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met Jan. 11 and approved the new board. Commissioners Shane Bradley, Michael Gage, Keith Holbert and Tom Pack voted in favor of the new board. Commissioner Ray Gasperson abstained from voting, which counted as a “yes” vote.

The new board will oversee Polk County Department of Social Services (DSS), Polk County Transportation Authority, the Meeting Place Senior Center and Veterans’ Services. A public hearing was held on Dec. 7 as required to create the new consolidated board.

The new board will be tasked with recommending a new human services director, which will be a new department head for Polk County.

Polk County Manager Marche Pittman said the county now has an 18-member board that replaced a five-member DSS board. The previous DSS board gained appointments from the Polk County Board of Commissioners (two members), the state (two members) and one appointment from the DSS board.

The newly created CHSA board can have up to 25 members by state statute, but commissioners opted to have up to 20 members. All members will be appointed by the county board of commissioners.

The new board will have its first meetings in February and March with the primary function in the beginning to be getting to know the human service departments in Polk County. Pittman said the new board will hear from the transportation department, the Meeting Place, veterans’ affairs and DSS. The next primary function will be to find a new director.

Pittman said the board could form a subcommittee to find a new director. He also said he doesn’t see the new director being hired until the beginning of the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2016. Pittman said the board will also have to choose a chairman.

“The director will have to have a unique skill set so the search could take a long time,” said Pittman.

The hiring of the new director will be completely up to the new CHSA board. Commissioners will have no say in who the new director is, although Pittman will have to hire the new person.

“I have to hire the person with consultation from the CHSA board,” said Pittman. “For this to work this has to be a group effort.”

Commissioners decided in appointing members to the CHSA board to have one, two and three-year staggered terms. Professional members were appointed to three-year terms, consumers of the services were appointed to two-year terms and members of the public were appointed to one-year terms.

Commissioners also last week approved amendments to the county’s personnel policy to coincide with the creation of the new CHSA board.

Pittman said one of the many benefits of a CHSA board is that the county is eliminating DSS employees’ association with the state personnel act. Previously, DSS employees had to go through the state office of personnel for any complaints or grievances. With the creation of a new CHSA board, the employees are now part of the county personnel policy. The county worked with a state personnel act consultant in order to make amendments to the county’s personnel policy.

The CHSA board so far includes members: Linda Greensfelder (psychologist), Steve Burney (pharmacist), Dale McLean (dentist), Bill Hay (veterinarian), Anne Jacobs (social worker), John Kornmayer (physician), Belynda Veser (psychiatrist), Keith Holbert (commissioner), Donald Hill (law enforcement), Jane Armstrong (consumer), Yvette Szuster (consumer), Bevin Corbin (consumer), Pat Adcock (member of the public), Muriel Lunsford (member of the public), Debbie Arceneaux (member of the public), Tim Brown (member of the public) and Eric Waddell (member of the public).

The board is missing an engineer, an optometrist, a consumer with veterans’ services and another member of the public to completely fill the board.

Following is the resolution approved by commissioners to create a consolidated human services agency:

WHEREAS, during the legislative session of 2012 the North Carolina General Assembly adopted House Bill 438 which amended N.C.G.S. 153A-77 and N.C.G.S. 153A-76 and granted to all counties the ability to create a consolidated human services agency; and

WHEREAS, N.C.G.S. 153A-77, as amended, gives to all counties the option to appoint a new consolidated human services board to serve as the governing board of the consolidated human services agency; and

WHEREAS, to give the county the flexibility to organize human services in such a way as to promote the efficiency and effectiveness in their administration, the department of social services board determined it is in the best interest of the county to consolidate the department of social services with other county human service agencies; and

WHEREAS, the department of social services board requested the board of commissioners to create a consolidated human services agency and to appoint, upon the recommendation of a nomination committee comprised of members of the pre-consolidation as set forth in N.C.G.S. 153A-77(C), to serve as the policy making, rule making and administrative board of the consolidated human services agency; and

WHEREAS, to give the county the flexibility to organize human services in such a way as to promote the efficiency and effectiveness in their administration, so that having an integrated management and serviceability structure would eliminate any overlap and better allow the coordination of the services of the Polk County Department of Social Services, Polk County Transportation, Polk County Veterans Services and the Polk County Meeting Place/Aging, the board of commissioners has determined it is in the best interest of the county to consolidate these county departments into a consolidated human service agency and to appoint a consolidated human services board to serve as the policy making, rule making and administrative board of the consolidated human services agency.

Based on the foregoing considerations, it is hereby resolved by the Polk County Board of Commissioners by majority vote as follows:

1. The existing Polk County Social Services Board is abolished effective Jan. 11, 2016; and
2. A county consolidated human services agency is hereby created, consisting of the employees of the Polk County Department of Social Services, Polk County Transportation, Polk County Veterans Services and the Polk County Meeting Place/Aging, with coordination of these departments to be effective Jan. 11, 2016; and
3. The governing body for this consolidated human services agency shall be the consolidated human services board, whose members shall be appointed and shall be effective the effective date of the consolidated human services board.