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Kendall County officials discuss temporary coverage, candidate offers after health inspector retirements
Summary
Commissioners reviewed hiring progress for two vacant health inspector posts, approved short‑term measures to keep the office functioning and discussed moving forms and front‑desk coverage to a temporary site at 400 Blanco Building while new hires begin.
Kendall County commissioners spent the first half of a special call meeting reviewing recent hiring activity and short‑term fixes for the health inspection office after two inspectors left. The court heard that an offer was extended to a well‑qualified candidate who has requested a May 11 start date if he accepts, and that another applicant from the Valley asked for and received a two‑week extension to May 15.
The chair said one hire is expected to start May 15 and another could start in June if accepted. Commissioners and staff discussed several options for keeping the office functioning while vacancies persist, including having county employees cover limited walk‑in hours, temporarily assigning an employee who is currently on loan to the engineering department, and having commissioners sign up to cover shifts as needed.
A county staff member reported that through the previous afternoon the 400 Blanco office had received 45 calls for the health department in the month to date, and that most calls resulted in requests for permits. Commissioners agreed payments for permits would continue to be collected at the Treasurer's Office and discussed practical limits on moving the full operation to a different office because of public convenience and space constraints.
One commissioner proposed using an on‑loan employee whose contract with engineering expires May 13 to answer phones and provide forms at 400 Blanco, with the county website updated to direct the public to the temporary location. County staff said the on‑loan employee is available and that keeping her where she currently is would allow her to continue other duties while also handling health‑department calls; the commissioners discussed keeping paperwork at Blanco and providing signage to guide the public.
The court also noted a temporary cost mismatch if outside inspection contractors are used: the county charges a $150 license fee while some contracted inspection firms charge about $200 per inspection, a gap the court said would be undesirable if sustained.
No formal motion was made on the health office staffing item; the court moved on to discuss internal operations for another department.
