County Administrative Officer Terri Daly explains a planned reorganization of the Health and Human Services Agency to the Amador County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

Photo by: Debbie Dunn

County Administrative Officer Terri Daly explained the impending reorganization of the county Health and Human Services Agency to budget-challenged supervisors on Tuesday.

Health and Human Services has been a department made up of three separate entities - Social Services, Public Health and Behavioral Health - and overseen by one executive director. The proposed restructure was prompted as a result of the early retirement of 10 department employees, including two top managers - agency director Tracey Russell and social services director Jackie Steele.

The proposed restructure would eliminate the Health and Human Services Agency director position, and increase the responsibilities of the newly renamed deputy director of social services position.

"What was four management positions will now become three with no salary increases and the potential savings of $300,000 in 2009," Daly told the board of supervisors.

A unique financial arrangement with the state and federal agencies for health services has evolved over several years. Service mandates in health are given to the county to perform every year for residents. All counties were required to create an alignment fund to stay fiscally solvent and accountable. This fund serves a similar function as the general fund does for the county.

A number of programs, like Child Protective Services or Adult Protective Services, will now be consolidated under one deputy director of social services. "We don't have any problems in health services and positions are being filled from within," Daly said.

Due to functional necessity, Daly requested that a number of these changes occur effective Nov. 1, but the entire restructure will be brought back to the board with other proposed department reorganizations in January 2009. The plan is that, as countywide restructuring proceeds, potential layoffs will be limited as a result of available positions in other areas. District 3 Supervisor Ted Novelli served as chairman in District 2 Supervisor Richard Forster's absence. "Please clarify what you meant by layoffs because the hairs on the back of my neck just rose," Novelli said.

Daly didn't know when or what other departments would be affected. "I anticipate when we look at reorganizing the county there will be positions in departments that will no longer be justified," Daly said. "The anticipation is that jobs will be combined and reorganizing health services now will give us a better picture of what we can offer employees in the future. All of this, of course, still needs to be identified to the union."