Johnson County council sets combined health director role at director pay after board seeks higher salary

The Johnson County Council voted 4–3 on May 12 to accept the Board of Health’s proposal to combine the county health director and the public health preparedness coordinator into a single position and to set that position’s pay at the Health Department director’s approved 2025 budgeted salary, approximately $88,593, effective July 1, 2025.

The vote follows weeks of discussion about how the two roles had been paid previously and a Board of Health proposal that listed a minimum yearly salary of $116,344.43 for a combined role. Council members and the county’s health officer discussed the operational and succession risks of combining the two duties while also noting the county’s growth and future need to separate them again.

Jeff Qualls, Johnson County health officer, told the council the dual duties include emergency response planning and preparedness functions: “I always say that’s the person who’s has us ready for our, train derailment should that day come.” Qualls said the board has “opted to unite these positions into 1 role with 1 salary” but also told members he expects the positions will likely need to be separated again as the county grows.

Qualls described how the combination evolved: when the previous director moved up to the director role, the emergency-preparedness duties remained with the same person because no immediate replacement was available. He said the combined duties have been handled by an experienced employee “for a long time” but acknowledged that “as the demands of each position increase … I don’t see it being, plausible or effective” to keep them together indefinitely.

Council members pressed for a plan and timeline for separating the duties. Qualls said he would not put an exact date on separation but estimated “within the next 4 years and probably sooner.” Other council members urged earlier succession planning and cross-training so the workload would not rest on a single person indefinitely.

The Board of Health and county staff also cited an outside salary review. Council members noted the county’s consultant (referred to in the meeting as WIS) recommended a midpoint for a combined role near $114,000; the Board’s original combined-role proposal sought a minimum of $116,344.43. Council discussion repeatedly returned to whether the council’s role is to set salaries and whether the Board of Health has authority to combine positions under state statute; legal staff told the council that state statute provides the board authority to set positions but that the council sets appropriations and can set the salary it will fund.

After discussion, Council Member Grama moved to accept agenda item C‑5 (the Board of Health proposal to combine the positions) but to pay the combined position at the Health Department director’s current 2025 budgeted salary of approximately $88,593, effective July 1, 2025; the motion was seconded by Council Member Chrismer. The motion carried 4–3. A subsequent motion to reconsider the council’s vote failed, so the council’s action stands.

Council members and county legal staff noted practical implications: the vote means the combined duties remain assigned to the single employee but the additional pay the employee had been receiving from a second line item will be removed. Council members repeatedly said the matter can be revisited during the normal budget cycle if the Board of Health returns with a different staffing proposal or salary request.

The council and the Board of Health also discussed operational consequences if the Board moves to separate the roles before the 2026 budget process: the Board would present separate positions and salary requests during the regular budgeting cycle. Several council members urged the Board to develop a succession and training plan so that emergency-preparedness responsibilities do not rely solely on a single individual.

What remains unclear from the meeting record: the precise current combined total the director had been receiving from the two pay lines (board discussion referenced figures in the $124,000–$127,000 range but did not produce a single confirmed final combined total on the record), and the Board of Health’s formal timeline for separating the duties beyond the verbal expectation of “within the next 4 years.” The council directed that any salary changes beyond the director’s existing budgeted amount be addressed in the regular budget process.

Council action: the combined position was approved by a 4–3 roll-call vote; the council set funded pay equal to the Health Department director’s 2025 budgeted salary (about $88,593) and removed the additional pay source(s) that had previously funded the preparedness coordinator duties.

For now, the duties remain assigned as a combined position; the Board of Health and health officer stated an intention to split the roles in the future and were asked to present a plan and timeline during budget or earlier if they return with a different request.