County to hold May 11 hearing on resolution that could shift DSS oversight to commissioners

Chair (S1) told the Rutherford County Department of Social Services board on April 15 that the county commissioners will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. on May 11 to consider a resolution, read in the meeting as under "general statute 153 a - 77," that could transfer governance of the local DSS board to the Board of Commissioners.

"On May 11 at 5PM in this room, the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners will have a public hearing," the Chair said, summarizing the advertised hearing and the potential effect: if the commissioners pass the resolution, the commissioners would assume the duties of the local DSS board and the board would become an advisory body.

Board members debated whether to continue the internal applicant-interview process for hiring a permanent DSS director or to pause until after the May 11 hearing. Several members said it would be unfair to applicants to complete an internal hiring process only to have the county assume hiring responsibility; others said the board should wait to see the commissioners’ action before making decisions.

Mister Williams (S9) responded to a direct question about timing and said the statute as presented does not force an immediate outcome but allows the commissioners a range of options: "The statute doesn't specify that implies, yes, they could" make a change effective immediately or defer action, he said, and noted the commissioners were aware of the board's ongoing hiring process and likely to consider that fact.

Chair (S1) told the board that, to his understanding, applications already submitted would be available to the commissioners and that the application process would not be re-opened. He said, "The application process is not gonna be opened back up from my understanding." Board members and counsel agreed that no formal transfer had occurred yet and that the board should reconvene on its scheduled May 20 meeting unless the county acted sooner.

No formal vote or transfer occurred at the April 15 meeting. Chair (S1) said he would notify board members if the county attorney, acting county manager or commissioners made any different determinations before the board’s next scheduled meeting.

The board was also told that, if the commissioners adopt the resolution, statutory hiring requirements (as referenced in discussion by Chair with citation to "general statute 1108 a") would still apply to the process for hiring a director under the new governance structure.

The board closed the discussion by agreeing to wait through the May 11 hearing before taking further action on the director search and to meet as scheduled on May 20 if the county had not finalized any action.