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Cherokee County DSS: Director warns 31.9% turnover threatens client safety; commissioners urged to act
Summary
At an April 28 board meeting, DSS Director Amanda T. McGee and supervisors said steep staff turnover—driven largely by higher pay offers from outside employers—creates audit risk and may harm client safety; county leadership discussed pay, recruitment, and short-term hiring requests.
Amanda T. McGee, director of the Cherokee County Department of Social Services, told the department’s board on April 28, 2026, that employee turnover is a safety concern for both clients and staff and that losses to higher-paying employers have materially increased operational risk. "Turnover IS a safety concern for clients and staff," McGee said during the meeting in Murphy.
McGee presented turnover data showing quarterly variability and a cumulative fiscal-year figure of 31.9 percent for July 2025–March 2026. Quarterly rates presented to the board were QT1 = 7.2 percent, QT2 = 5.8 percent and QT3 = 18.9 percent; staff reported 22 separations over that period and noted eight employees left for Healthy Blue in the third quarter.
The director and supervisors described direct program impacts of staffing losses: higher error rates in eligibility work that can trigger audit findings and financial paybacks, and continuity problems in social work programs that can delay child welfare outcomes. "When staff earn lower (much lower) salary than market value for the job, staff are tempted to leave," McGee said, and she warned that state and federal compliance leaves little room for repeated mistakes.
APS Supervisor Daunita Maennle told the board that it typically takes about a year for new social work staff to be fully effective and that turnover raises mental‑health concerns among remaining workers. "Staff turnover has significant consequences, particularly when experienced staff are lost," Maennle said, noting the unit had been understaffed for more than a year but is now fully staffed.
Board Chair Bo Phillips and Commissioner Dr. Sue Ledford discussed county-level options for recruitment and retention. Phillips urged consideration of pay adjustments, citing the department’s intensive nine‑month training and probationary period and noting staff can often find higher-paying work elsewhere, including entry-level private-sector roles. Commissioner Ledford said the Board of Commissioners intends to operate with a more open, data-driven approach and asked departments to prepare strategic plans to support budget decisions.
McGee said the county has included safety-related items in the fiscal-year budget to improve building and grounds and that the County Manager is recommending hiring three new Income Maintenance Caseworker (IMC II) positions to address anticipated workload. Staff also described limited access to state-sponsored training and encouraged county leaders to invite the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to see local challenges firsthand.
No formal pay changes were adopted at the meeting. Directors said they will form a Retention Committee to analyze separation data and propose actions to strengthen retention. The board scheduled continued strategic-planning discussion for the May meeting and asked staff to distribute planning materials in advance.
Next steps: the department will form a Retention Committee, track manager-level budget recommendations (including the three IMC II hires), and present a fuller strategic plan at the May meeting.
