Macon County commissioners vote to hold public hearing on taking direct control of local health department

Macon County commissioners voted unanimously July 8 to hold a public hearing in September on whether the elected Board of Commissioners should assume direct control of the county health department and convert the appointed Board of Health into an advisory committee.

The vote came after a two-hour joint meeting between the county commission and the Macon County Board of Health in which commissioners and health-board members aired recurring complaints from residents and county staff about communication, permitting backlogs and low morale at the health department.

Why it matters: Commissioners emphasized that elected officials are accountable to voters for county operations and said the current governance arrangement — in which an appointed health board and a health director manage day-to-day operations under state public-health rules — has left the commission with limited authority over personnel and operations. Health-board members warned that statutory limits and state oversight complicate governance and that more open communication is needed before structural changes are made.

At the meeting, Commissioner Barry Bridal framed the issue as one of county economic development and service delivery, saying county leaders must be able to act on complaints from residents and employees. Commissioner Gary Shields told the joint meeting, “The appointed Board of Health should be an advisory board to this elected body,” arguing the commission should have primary oversight of the agency.

Jerry Hermanson, who opened the Board of Health’s portion of the meeting and identified himself as representing the…