Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Department Pay And Structure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Johnson County Council keeps health director pay at 2025 level while board moves to split roles
Summary
After months of discussion about a combined public health director and preparedness role, the Johnson County Council voted 6–1 to keep the health director's 2025 salary unchanged while the county moves to separate the two positions by the end of the year.
The Johnson County Council voted 6–1 June 9 to keep the health director's salary at the 2025 budgeted rate while the county separates the public health director and public health preparedness coordinator positions.
Paul Haas, attorney for the Health Department, told the council the department intends to separate the two roles and post the preparedness coordinator position; he said the separation "will be done by the end of the year" and that the county intends to post the opening and hire after the posting period. Haas also described a request for an additional appropriation of $4,892 to bring the director's pay to a stated midpoint figure shown in a Wagner, Erwin & Shealy letter dated April 8 — a midpoint the presentation listed as $99,369.13.
The issue arose after council members and legal staff identified a longstanding payroll practice in which the same employee had been paid for two roles. Council member Pam Burton said the arrangement "is an illegal process" and that the county cannot pay a salaried employee an hourly rate from a grant in the way it had been done. Burton said she would not support increasing the director's pay now and preferred any change be considered during the normal budget process.
Other council members and department representatives said the situation was "unique," in part because grant funding that had supported the extra pay had declined; Haas said the grant money "is being paid and to the county," and that the department believes the requested midyear adjustment is feasible. Tiffany (county staff) explained the county's hiring process for posted positions, noting openings are generally posted for about 30 days.
Pam Burton moved to keep the health director's salary at the 2025 approved rate for this year; Ron Bates seconded. The motion passed on a roll-call tally of 6–1. The council recorded the outcome without adopting the salary increase requested by the Health Department that evening.
The council and department agreed the positions will be separated, the preparedness coordinator position posted, and the director will continue to perform both sets of duties until a hire is made. The department indicated it will return with any further details and that the council may reconsider pay changes during the 2026 budget process if warranted.
Council members asked for documentation from the Health Board about prior approvals and minutes related to the combined duties; the department attorney said historical minutes exist but did not provide them immediately.
The council's action was limited to the personnel/pay question at hand: no new permanent salary increase was adopted for the health director at the June 9 meeting.
