Health administrator asks council to fund part-time food inspector amid staffing transition

Chair opened a review of the health department budget and invited Terry, Ripley County Health Department administrator, to present the department’s requests. Terry said the department is proposing a part-time food inspector to be hired before the current inspector retires.

Terry described the job as specialized: "this person has to be able to read and interpret legislation," and told council the position would be part time (under 28 hours/week) and cross-trained to cover tattoos, septic, housing and pools. She said starting earlier would give the new hire six months to be independent on food inspections and several years to be competent on the other programs.

Council members pressed on cost and timing. The administrator proposed an hourly recruitment target of about $26 an hour; the council discussed the risk of double salary during overlap and whether to budget a half-year. After discussion about recruitment timelines and training needs, the council approved a half-year appropriation of $15,500 for the part-time inspector and asked staff to return with comparative salaries from surrounding counties before finalizing a salary ordinance.

Why it matters: the position affects restaurant and event inspection capacity across Ripley County and is tied to state-mandated food-code enforcement. If recruitment takes several months, the county expects to rely on neighboring health departments or state support for coverage in urgent situations.

Next steps: staff will advertise the vacancy, gather comparative pay data, and return with a proposed salary ordinance; the $15,500 half-year appropriation was approved during the session.