PERRY COUNTY, Ind. — Tara Lucas, identified in the meeting as a public health nurse supervisor with the county health department, told the Perry County Council on Thursday that she is resigning after nine years and asked the council’s permission to post the vacant position.

The council approved the department’s updated 2026 HFI budget request — which reflected a $10,000 item tied to the ambulance service — and later approved a motion to allow the county to post the health supervisor position. During discussion, council members asked that the job posting list the minimum qualifications as RN/LPN rather than specifying a single license type.

Why it matters: The health supervisor oversees public-health programs the council funds; the department’s leadership change and the timing of budget finalization are relevant to service continuity and recruiting.

Details and actions

- Budget: The council reviewed an updated 2026 HFI budget request and approved it in the meeting. A council member noted the change reflecting $10,000 from the ambulance service.

- Resignation and posting: Lucas said she had a ‘‘great 9 years’’ and requested permission to post the position as soon as possible. Council members discussed the prior job description’s language and agreed to modify it to read "RN/LPN" before posting. The council approved a motion to change the job description wording and to post the position; the motion to change wording was made by Brad (council member) and seconded by David (council member); the motion to post was made by Corey (council member) and seconded by David; both motions passed with the recorded vote 6–0.

Quotes and context

Lucas said the department had "worked very, very hard," and asked the council to continue support for public health; that remark was made during her resignation announcement.

Next steps

Staff will update the job description to reflect RN/LPN qualifications, post the vacancy (including on the county website and job platforms), and share the posting before Lucas’s departure so recruitment can begin.

Motions related to the budget update, the job-description change and the posting all passed with unanimous votes.