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Rutherford County DSS introduces new board member and staff; agency reports continued vacancies and hiring changes
Summary
The board welcomed appointee Sydney Pellegrini and staff introduced two recent hires. Director and staff reviewed personnel reports that showed multiple vacant social-worker positions, comp-time concerns and recent success using Indeed for recruitment.
The Rutherford County Department of Social Services board welcomed a new county-commissioners appointee and heard a personnel report that highlighted hiring activity, ongoing vacancies in child-protective services and recent changes to recruitment practices.
At the start of the meeting the board formally introduced Sydney Pellegrini, who was sworn in as a county-commissioners appointee. Pellegrini identified herself as a peer support specialist who has worked in Cleveland County and Rutherford County and said she is “very eager to be somebody that has a voice” and is a member of NAMI’s board of directors.
Staff introduced two recent hires: Heather Fletcher, who began work in mid‑April and has experience in property management, and Stephanie (last name not specified), who started the Monday before the meeting and whose background staff described as insurance/financial industry and family/children’s Medicaid work.
Director Hunt and HR staff reviewed the monthly personnel report (covering employee counts, comp time and vacancies). The report showed multiple vacancies in Child Protective Services (the transcript referenced five positions previously open and staff described the number as reduced during recruitment activity). Staff said several caseworker vacancies are difficult to fill because the work involves home visits and safety risks.
Board members and staff discussed comp time accrual. Staff explained that high comp balances create budget risk because accrued time must be paid out if an employee leaves; the report included an example of an employee with approximately 100 hours of comp time.
Recruitment changes were highlighted: staff said the department began actively using Indeed to advertise openings and that it had produced a noticeable increase in quality applicants, interviews and hires, including at least one candidate who accepted despite higher-paying offers elsewhere because of positive word of mouth about the agency.
Staff also detailed local retention work: quick reversals of resignations in at least one case (a worker who left for another county returned within days), crediting agency environment and quick HR response as reasons retention succeeded in that instance.
Why it matters: Staffing levels and recruitment directly affect service delivery and the department’s budget; the board is monitoring vacancies, comp time liability and recruitment performance as part of oversight of child welfare and other services.
