Gates County social services requests software, vehicle and staffing funds in budget presentation

Assistant director Morning Silver presented Gates County Social Services' budget requests to county leaders, asking first for a case-management software purchase and detailing staffing and vehicle needs. "The ask that I have is requesting a software program called iRecession that assists with case tracking and management," she said, adding that "the cost of it is a little over 8,900" and that the department typically receives roughly 40 to 50 percent reimbursement depending on coding.

Silver said a demonstration of the iRecession software will be given by Mr. Pierce the following day and framed the purchase as a tool to reduce manual entry and improve data capture alongside the county's existing NC FAST system. She also sought $10,000 to $12,000 for a second vehicle, saying the donated county car in use has recurring maintenance problems and that staff sometimes must use personal vehicles and be reimbursed for travel.

On staffing, Silver asked for a part-time front-desk worker to cover lunches and mail runs so social workers can protect client privacy and maintain case-management time. "We do believe that having a part-time front desk worker will be of great assistance," she said, suggesting hours roughly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as an initial arrangement.

Silver proposed reclassifying finance officer Shawn Hill to "administrative officer two" and awarding a $5,000 raise, describing Hill as the office's safeguard for proper coding and reimbursements. "She is the guard at the gate," Silver said, arguing Hill's work helps ensure the county captures appropriate reimbursements.

Commissioners pressed for more numbers during a follow-up discussion about mileage and reimbursement costs. Silver said she did not have a cumulative annual total for mileage reimbursements available at the meeting but estimated typical travel reimbursements run between $75 and $150 per trip and that reimbursed miles in some instances total about 5,000 miles. Silver agreed to provide a clearer travel-reimbursement figure to help the board weigh whether buying a vehicle or reimbursing personal travel is more cost-effective.

Silver also described succession-planning risks, citing a 2022 abrupt retirement of a long-time worker, Andrea Childress, that left the office without necessary institutional knowledge and required rapid rehiring and training. "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it," Silver said, urging caution about understaffing.

She flagged an anticipated workload increase tied to state changes (referred to in the record as HR1 and related Medicaid/recertification work effective Jan. 1, 2027) and said the department might need to request mid-year adjustments depending on how reimbursements and workload balance out. Silver thanked staff for client-facing help with Medicare and Medicaid navigation and closed by confirming follow-up items: the iRecession demo, travel-reimbursement figures, and any supporting salary comparisons.

No formal motions or votes on the items were recorded in the transcript provided; commissioners asked Silver to return with the requested cost and benchmarking information to inform final budget decisions.