Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors at its mid-March meeting approved a change in leadership of the Amador County Health & Human Services department, to be led by the next director of Social Services.

The Board, at its March 22 meeting approved a future permanent director of the Health and Human Services to be director of both Health Services and Social Services departments, which are now led by an acting director.

Supervisors approved the changes on staff recommendation from Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Iley, who in a memo March 14 said that “following the passing of Matt Zanze, the Board placed Joan Meis-Wilson as the Acting Director of Social Services, the Acting Guardian/Conservator and the Acting Public Administrator.”

Iley said “Social Services and Public Health departments were previously combined to create the Health and Human Services Agency, which would allow for more efficient operations and stronger, more unified leadership under one agency head.”

He said “unfortunately, in this financial climate, I cannot recommend filling that top position.” Instead, he recommended the Board of Supervisors “delete the Health and Human Services Director position and replace it with the Social Services Director position.” He said the “Social Services Director and the Health Services Director would then report directly to” Iley. Meis-Wilson is now the Acting Social and Health Services Director.

Iley said: “I am also recommending that the Social Services Director position be advertised internally immediately, with the application review committee consisting of the members of the Administrative Committee, the Human Resources director and the Chief Administrative Officer.”

The board action was to approve the deletion of the Health and Human Services position and to add the position of the Social Services Director. Iley said fiscal impacts would be a “savings from reduced salary” for the new position.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.