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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly_23_2010_Joint_MeetingIREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT MEETING WITH THE IREDELL COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MINUTES FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2010 The Iredell County Board of Commissioners met with the Iredell County Social Services Board on Friday, July 23, 2010, at 2:00 P.M., in the South Wing Conference Room, of the Iredell County Government Center, 200 South Center Street, Statesville, NC. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the new director's position for the Department of Social Services. (Don Wall, the current director, has submitted his resignation due to retirement plans in September.) Commissioners in attendance were as follows: Vice Chairman Steve Johnson Frank Mitchell Ken Robertson Absent: Chairman Marvin Norman Scott Keadle Board of Social Services members in attendance were as follows: Chairman Sandra Redmond Vice Chairman Alice Stewart Caroline Grisette Betty Marion Tammy Wellman Others in attendance were Acting County Manager Tracy Jackson, Social Services Director Don Wall, Record & Landmark Reporter Jim McNally, and Clerk to the Board Jean Moore. CALLS TO ORDER On behalf of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, Vice Chairman Steve Johnson called the meeting to order. On behalf of the Iredell County Social Services Board, Chairman Sandra Redmond called the meeting to order. DISCUSSION ON NEW SOCIAL SERVICES DIRECTOR'S POSITION: Commissioner Johnson said the meeting had been called to have a collective understanding about the position's salary range due to the county paying approximately 50% of the cost and to allow the commissioners to express their comments on what qualifications they desired to see in the successful candidate. He said the commissioners wanted to leave the meeting with some level of comfort that their concerns would be used in the decision making process. Commissioner Robertson said it was hoped that candidates from outside the department, as well as internal applicants, would be considered. He asked how long Social Services Director Don Wall had been with the department. Don Wall said 29 years. Robertson said it wouldn't be bad to hire someone from the outside who might take a different approach in managing the department. In addition, he said the world was changing and it would be beneficial to have someone familiar with new technology that could be used to help get the job done. Robertson said unfortunately, it didn't appear the economy was going to turn around anytime soon which meant the department's requests for assistance would only increase, while at the same time county revenues were decreasing, especially sales taxes. He said it appeared that many state and federal programs would be changing with the Obama administration, and a person who could implement change was needed. Robertson said DSS could be controversial because on one extreme, some people felt that everyone walking in was looking for a "freebie" while others felt that no matter what was being done it wasn't enough. He said that if services had to be provided, then they should be provided well, and the person over the department should be able to articulate what the agency did along with how it was doing it. Robertson said then, both sides of the political spectrum could feel comfortable and confident that what DSS was doing met the letter and intent of the law. He said those characteristics needed to be far up on the list. Additionally, he said the new director needed to have "good chemistry" with the board of commissioners. Robertson mentioned that he would like to have a chance to meet with the top candidates. Commissioner Mitchell said he liked to promote from within, but if there was no one qualified, then outside assistance would be appropriate. He said that after reviewing the salary range he felt the job market was in the county's favor due to there being many unemployed people. Mitchell said he didn't think the county would have to pay at the top of the scale in order to find a qualified candidate. Caroline Grissette said the social services board members were basically volunteers who worked hard at their jobs. She said that after taxes they made about $69 a meeting and travel pay was minimal. Grissette mentioned that the entire county should make cuts where needed and be fiscally responsible. Commissioner Johnson asked if a template had been developed as far as qualifications for the position. Social Services Chairman Sandra Redmond said yes. She said the application period was held open for 30 days and there were 27 applicants. Redmond said the applications were then narrowed down to five or six individuals. (A packet of materials containing the following information was then distributed to the commissioners: (1) a copy G.S. 108A-9 Duties and Responsibilities of a County Board of Social Services (2) copies of G.S. 108A-12 Appointment of the Social Services Director & G.S. 108A- 13 Salary of the Social Services Director (3) excerpts from the Social Services in North Carolina book by John Saxon regarding the position (4) a salary list for all social services directors in the state, (5) a salary list showing the directors' salaries in 15 comparable -size counties to Iredell County and (6) a copy of an e-mail from County Manager Joel Mashburn to Social Services Director Don Wall asking for a joint meeting.) Commissioner Mitchell asked how the position was advertised. Wall said former Human Resources Director Cynthia Eades met with social services twice prior to advertising in the Count,, Lomas well as newspapers in Iredell, Mecklenburg, Wake, and Buncombe counties. He said the open position was listed on the county's web site, and the other 99 North Carolina counties were notified. Commissioner Johnson asked if in the review process the social services board had considered budgetary experience and the gathering of information from the various departments for the compilation of the annual budget. Redmond said locally there were people who could assist with the budget, and it was known that budgetary experience would be an item that needed to be addressed during the interviews. She said the advertisement indicated the director supervised the department, managed an annual operating budget of $58 million, and supervised a staff of 223. Grissette said the staffs views regarding the position were requested and that questionnaires were provided to them She said many responses were received, and the employees had the option of remaining anonymous if they so desired. Wall said interviewing would begin on August 3. He said the former HR Director had reviewed the applications and assisted in narrowing them down to the finalists. Vice Chairman Johnson said that due to the economy the county had experienced a serious decline in revenues. He said on top of this was the recently enacted legislation that on the front end would be unfunded. Johnson said uninsured people would be covered by Medicaid 2 and the state of North Carolina had no money in reserve for this program. He said the federal government would start paying for it with borrowed money, and the state of North Carolina would start searching for a funding source due to already having a $3 to 4 billion budget shortfall. Johnson said the state would then turn to the county for the funding. Grissette said the social services board members had taken this into consideration. Johnson said the successful applicant should be aware of new technologies that would at least mitigate the hiring of new personnel due to the lack of funds. He mentioned the health department had established a program that limited the county's exposure in having to fund some programs. Johnson said he wasn't telling the social services board members to be unethical, but a person who could work the system to minimize the county's impact was needed. He said a person who could bring this type of methodology would be helpful. Grissette said this had been thought about. Johnson said the person would need that skill set to minimize the impact of the new legislation. He thanked Don Wall for his many years of service to the county. Johnson said that during the Welfare Reform Committee meetings a great deal of respect had occurred for Mr. Wall. Johnson also thanked the social services board members for their service. Alice Stewart said that during Mr. Wall's 29 years of employment she had been a member of the social services board for 21 years. She said a 95% budget had been turned out by Wall during these years, and he was highly knowledgeable on state and federal laws. Stewart said Wall had used lapsed salary funds numerous times to help manage the budget. She said many programs were mandated, without funds to administer them, and many carried penalties if not implemented. Robertson said that with federal changes, someone was needed who could articulate and communicate back to the public to clear up any misconceptions about how the money was being spent. He said the person would have to be able to explain to the public what was being expected of the department. Grissette said it was an honor to serve on the social services board. She said previously she had worked in administration elsewhere and helped to manage a $20 million budget. She said the social services board members were intelligent women, and they understood what the commissioners were talking about. Vice Chairman Johnson said the commissioners took their positions in the right perspective because they saw their jobs as being stewards of what had been entrusted to them. He said the commissioners understood the county, as well as DSS, only had money because someone in a position of authority took it from those who earned it. Johnson said the commissioners felt it would be lax in their stewardship, since the county paid 50% of the director's salary, to not express some thoughts about the needed qualifications. Redmond said she supported the care and support of children and the other social services programs. She said everyone that worked at DSS had a purpose. Redmond said, "We cannot tear down the house that Jack built. I don't know how you're going to pull something out from one side and not destroy the total building. We have looked at the applicants. We have given people the opportunity to apply. The people at social services are well versed in what they do. We have had directors who applied for the position, and we've had people from the inside who applied who are very intelligent and qualified, with many years of education and managerial experience." Redmond said the social services board members had jointly made the decisions regarding the application process to this point. She said the statutes stipulated the social services board made the decision on the selection of a director, and the only way this could be disapproved would be by the Governor or the Attorney General's Office. Redmond said she had confidence that the social services board could make the decision, but if the commissioners desired a closed session to prove this point, then this could occur. OTION by Social Services Board Member Betty Marion at 2:45 P.M. to enter into closed session pursuant to G.S. 143-318.1 1 (a) (6) — Personnel. 3 VOTING: Ayes — 5; Nays — 0. (RETURN TO OPEN SESSION AT 3:05 P.M.) OTIO by Commissioner Frank Mitchell to adjourn the meeting at 3:05 P.M. VOTING: Ayes — 3; Nays — 0. Approval: 4 Clerk to the Board