County Mayor Wong announced the mayoral appointment of Rebecca Bohannon as administrator of the Hamilton County Health and Social Services Division and praised her public-health and behavioral-health experience, but commissioners asked staff to confirm whether the county must submit the appointment to the state for formal approval.

The appointment matters because commissioners said state guidance may require the county to coordinate with the Tennessee Department of Health and the state commissioner of health before finalizing a county health director appointment.

Mayor Wong said Bohannon was selected after a national search assisted by an external recruiter and emphasized her background in mental-health court and nonprofit leadership. "I was blown away, as I've shared with many of you, blown away by her clarity, focus, vision for public health in our community," the mayor said. The mayor also said Bohannon is a licensed mental-health therapist with a master's degree and described her as a "very dynamic leader" trusted by county employees and judges.

Chief Roddy, who participated in the search, said the county used an existing contract with an external vendor, the Inline Group, to recruit candidates. "Upon some research, the conditions of the contract allowed us to use this external vendor, Inline... So between 3 and 4 is about as specific as as we can get sitting here," Chief Roddy said, describing the timeline of the search.

Sandra Ellis of human resources confirmed the use of the Inline Group and said the county had contracted for additional positions under that agreement.

Commissioner Sharp raised a legal question about authority under state guidance, citing CTAS and the Tennessee code provision read into the record: "...it is to be headed by the county health director or administrator...the commissioner also appoints the county health officer who must be a physician...TCA 68 2 6 0 3." Sharp said, "it appears to me this may be outside our scope of authority," and asked for research on whether the county may properly make the appointment.

A county official responded that, for metro counties, the county mayor can make the appointment but that the county would submit the appointment to the state commissioner of health (referred to in the meeting as Commissioner Alvarado) and the state typically approves the nomination when the county commission has approved it.

No formal vote on the appointment occurred at the meeting. The chair asked county attorneys and staff to "circle back" with the commission after confirming whether the county's appointment requires state approval; commissioners said they would revisit the appointment at next week's meeting after staff provides the requested legal clarification.

The discussion separated three elements: the candidate's qualifications and recruiting process; the administrative mechanics (the Inline Group contract and internal vetting); and the statutory/administrative question whether the county must obtain state approval under TCA 68-2-603 and CTAS guidance.