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by
Scotty Wampler
Staff Reporter
Two
additional offices might be added to the current Department of
Social Services building if the agency's Administrative Board
and the county Industrial Development Authority are pleased
with the terms of a future proposal.
DSS
Director Judy Holland informed the board at its regular
monthly meeting Monday night she had been in contact with
Buchanan County Economic Development Director Craig Horn about
adding the two offices, one of which she said would be used as
a mini-classroom to conduct job training with DSS clients.
"He
was willing to go ahead and have someone look at it,"
Holland said of Horn's cooperation with the project.
The
county agency currently rents the Slate Creek building, which
belongs to the IDA.
"It's
in the exploratory stages," Holland added.
Garden
district board member Laura Elkins asked if the agency itself
would have to incur the cost of a possible expansion, to which
Holland replied the agency would likely have several options
to discuss, including extending the agency's current lease
with the IDA at the same rate. But that, Holland said, was
still only speculation, as the project plan is in its infancy.
The
board discussed two matters in closed session during the
meeting -- unanimously voting to do so for both personnel and
legal matters -- though the reason for closing the meeting was
not specified.
When
the board was asked to specify the reason for entering closed
session, board attorney Vern Presley reiterated that the board
would be seeking legal counsel for a "legal matter."
Section
2.2-3712 of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act prohibits
general references from being used as reason to close a public
meeting, stating that general descriptions of closed meeting
exemptions "shall not be sufficient to satisfy the
requirements for holding a closed meeting." Under the
FOIA, public bodies, including the DSS board, are also
required to specify whether it is seeking legal counsel for
actual or probable litigation, which it did not.
The
board remained in closed session for approximately 45 minutes.
During
the public portion of the meeting, Holland asked the board if
the agency's current time clock system could be abandoned for
a period of three months to experiment with the use of
handwritten time sheets.
"The
time clock is a real issue," she told the board. "It
takes a tremendous amount of our time to administer it."
Holland
explained that, due to the over 50 DSS employees lined up
every morning at the same time to clock in, it's appearing as
though some workers are coming in late, when, in fact, they
are not.
Holland
said using a time sheet instead of a time clock would force
employees to sign in every morning in front of their
supervisor.
The
board gave full support to the proposal, approving it
unanimously.
Elkins
voiced the most support for the change, stating that salaried,
professional employees shouldn't be required to punch a clock
in the first place.
"I
feel like that's a little demeaning," she said.
The
change will take effect April 16 and will continue for three
months, after which it will be evaluated by the board.
Elkins
brought another idea to the table during the new business
portion of the meeting's agenda. Citing a lack of information
circulated in the community about services provided by the
agency, as well as other local facilities, Elkins asked if the
board could study the possibility of initiating an ad campaign
to help spread awareness about available services.
One
local woman, she explained, recently confided that her teeth
were in such bad shape, it hurt even to eat a meal. But
because she didn't qualify for DSS assistance and couldn't
afford to pay for proper dental care, there was nothing she
could do to correct the problem.
"There's
a lot of people like that in our area," she said.
Elkins
further explained that other local agencies such as People,
Inc. provide services the county DSS doesn't, but many
residents aren't even aware of them. Holland said she would
report back to the board next month with an official proposal
regarding possible means of advertising that these services
are available.
Also
discussed by the board at Monday's meeting:
•
Holland reported that the agency had recently installed a new
voicemail service and that it was working well.
•
Elkins requested that bi-monthly budget updates be forwarded
to members of the board for their review. Holland agreed to do
so beginning in July when the budget details for the coming
year become clear.
•
The full-time custodial position requested by Holland during
March's meeting was approved by the state DSS headquarters in
Richmond. The agency will begin advertising for the position
next week, Holland said.
For more of the story,
see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. For more information on how to subscribe
to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.
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