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Monroe County council approves health‑department staffing moves, creates clinical assistant position and reclassifies health director
Summary
Council approved hiring‑freeze exemptions and budget transfers for health‑department roles, created a clinical assistant position, and reclassified the health services director position to an SO at $36/hour to improve recruitment after the loss of an IU Health contract.
MONROE COUNTY — The Monroe County Council on Tuesday approved a set of staffing and budget changes for the county health department intended to rebuild clinical capacity after the county’s contract with IU Health ended.
Councilors approved exemptions from the hiring freeze so the health department can recruit a full‑time public‑health nurse and school liaison, and they approved a grant category transfer that moves $28,198.76 into personnel to support continued clinical services.
The council also authorized creation of a clinical assistant position, approved a category transfer of $41,351 from services to personnel to fund that role, and amended the 2026 salary ordinance to add the position to the health fund.
In a separate action, the council reclassified the health services director position to an SO (nonbargained) pay class and set the hire rate at $36.00 per hour while keeping the role at a 35‑hour workweek for now. Health staff said the change is needed to be competitive in a tight nursing labor market; multiple speakers noted that area hospitals have offered $20,000–$30,000 sign‑on bonuses and pay in the mid‑$30s per hour.
Dr. Sarah Reiterband, Monroe County health officer, supported the move and told the council that recruiting public‑health nurses is “next to impossible” in the current market; she recommended the $36/hour rate to remain competitive. Health staff said the county has funds in the health fund and that the transfers are intended to reallocate existing grant or contract monies to maintain services.
Roll calls recorded the approvals: the hiring and transfers passed by majority votes; the clinical assistant creation and salary‑ordinance amendment passed on roll calls recorded in the transcript; the health services director reclassification passed unanimously.
The council directed staff to continue developing a multi‑position organizational plan for the health department that would layer supervisory roles (nurse supervisor and public health nurses) to provide coverage and resilience.
What’s next: Health staff will post the new positions and return with job descriptions and any further budget details needed for long‑term staffing plans.
