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County OKs adding 12 hours to community nutrition educator by shifting WIC aid hours
Summary
Portage County approved a resolution to repurpose hours from an unfilled WIC aid position to add 12 hours per week to a 20-hour community nutrition educator position in Health and Human Services, a change staff said should improve recruitment and retention and is budget-neutral for the current year.
The Portage County Human Resources Committee approved a resolution to add 12 hours per week to a 20-hour-per-week community nutrition educator position in Health and Human Services by reallocating hours previously budgeted for a 20‑hour WIC aid position.
Staff explained that WIC-aid positions historically were part-time, high-turnover roles (staff noted an example hourly rate of about $15.16 for prior WIC aids). Health and Human Services told the committee that participation in the WIC program is strongly driven by staffing levels; when clinics are understaffed, participants do not come. Health staff and the new WIC program director (Mary Gursky) recommended not refilling one WIC aid 20‑hour position and instead shifting the funding and hours to add 12 hours to the community nutrition educator post, which staff said should aid recruitment and retention.
Because the change increases an existing position by more than 10 hours per week, the request required review under the county’s new-position procedure even though the net effect for the current year’s budget is neutral. Health and Human Services reported it approved the change at its Monday meeting (with one member absent) and presented the resolution to the committee for HR approval. The committee moved and seconded the resolution, members said they supported the change for recruitment reasons, and the motion carried by voice vote.
