County awarded drug grant but ASAC declines to continue; supervisors seek replacement coordinator

Jackson County staff told the Board of Supervisors Aug. 19 that the county has been awarded a drug‑prevention grant for the upcoming fiscal year worth $125,000 annually but must identify a new program coordinator and service provider after ASAC declined to continue the contract and the incumbent program coordinator resigned.

Public‑health and grant staff explained the contract history: Julie Fern, who previously served as program coordinator through ASAC, resigned and ASAC notified the county it would not fill that contracted position going forward. Staff said the award was confirmed that morning and that the grant is intended to fund the program coordinator’s salary plus program activities, conferences, supplies and compliance work. “So that's a 125,000. Per year…That includes the salary…for Julie and for all of the activities,” staff said.

Supervisors discussed options: contracting for coordinator services (as an independent contractor rather than a county employee), splitting responsibilities among entities such as EMS, law enforcement, schools or public health, or finding a nonprofit or individual contractor to perform coordination. County counsel/staff clarified that the county can contract for coordinator services provided the contractor’s hours, location and work schedule are not controlled as though the person were a county employee.

Because the current grant year ends Sept. 29 and ongoing program activities and reporting are required, supervisors directed staff to schedule a work session within the next one to two weeks to identify whether to hire/contract a coordinator or allocate duties across agencies. Staff noted that some duties (reporting and submission of claims) have a named program director (Karen Wells) who currently signs claim forms; the county must identify how to continue program administration into the next grant year.