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Athens County approves layoffs at job services and readjusts office hours amid SNAP rule changes
Summary
The Athens County commissioners approved five immediate layoffs and two more in February at the Department of Job & Family Services, approved a return to 40-hour workweeks for bargaining-unit staff effective Feb. 1, and were briefed on March SNAP ABAWD rule changes that will expand work requirements for some clients.
The Athens County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 6 to implement five immediate layoffs at the Department of Job & Family Services and two additional layoffs slated for February, following an executive session on personnel.
The action, approved on the record by a motion from Commissioner Charlie Adkins and seconded by Commissioner Chris Chmiel, was recorded as a unanimous vote of Commissioners Lenny Eliason, Chris Chmiel and Charlie Adkins.
Director Jean Demosky told the board that bargaining-unit staff will return to 40 hours per week effective Feb. 1, 2026, and that public office hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The board separately approved that change in office hours.
Demosky also briefed the commissioners on upcoming SNAP Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) rule changes scheduled to take effect in March 2026. The state guidance raises the age threshold for the ABAWD exemption from 54 to 64 and narrows the parental exemption so it applies only when the client has a child under 13. Demosky said the agency will need to interview potentially affected clients to determine exemptions and will engage existing work-experience partners and recruit additional sites if necessary.
She told the board she will email a written summary of the SNAP changes and assigned an internal lead (Jordan) to coordinate case counts once interviews clarify client status.
The board entered multiple executive sessions related to DJFS matters before returning to regular session and recording the layoffs and office-hour changes in the minutes. Commissioner Adkins made the motions; Commissioner Chmiel seconded them, and the roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous where noted.
The board packet and minutes indicate the commissioners tasked staff to follow up on administrative and operational details; Demosky will provide the requested written summaries and counts to the board before further action.
