LAKEPORT, Calif. – Having completed research and surveys over the last several months regarding whether Lake County should form a health and human services agency out of three departments, county administrative staff on Tuesday urged the Board of Supervisors to delay such a plan until the county is in a better financial shape.

The board ultimately agreed with County Administrative Office Carol Huchingson's suggestion, based on the county's current financial constraints, many of them the result of the long-term recovery process due to last summer's wildland fires.

Huchingson also asked the board to give the go-ahead to recruiting for permanent department heads for the three agencies – Health, Social Services and Behavioral Health – that would be covered by the health and human services agency.

All three have been headed by interim department heads while county staff was conducting the analysis.

Denise Pomeroy has headed Health Services, following Jim Brown's retirement; Kathy Maes was appointed interim head in the Social Services Department, which Huchingson herself had led before being promoted this spring to county administrative officer; and Kevin Thompson has been interim director at Behavioral Health.

The exploration of the “superagency” or health and human services model came during a time of transition for the county's department heads, seven to eight of whom had retired, Huchingson said.

Huchingson told the board that in May she convened the three interim department heads and together they created a survey that would delve into the advantages of the county adopting the superagency model.

“The combined model is used in many California counties,” said Huchingson.

County staff identified 25 small and medium counties using the model, sending out surveys to 12 of them. One third responded, she said.

All of the counties that responded enthusiastically supported the health and human services agency model for a wide variety of reasons, said Huchingson.

She said those included the ability to share budgets, more focused direction of county programs, better ability to respond to federal mandates, uniform case management practices and a potential for combined locations.

Regarding the latter, Huchingson said all three agencies currently are isolated from each other geographically, and it would be nice to be able to offer a mix of services at each of the location.

Other pluses include the ability to respond to clients' needs holistically and the reduction of redundant staffing, said Huchingson.

As part of the analysis, Huchingson said Human Resources Director Kathy Ferguson looked at the salary ranges of 11 counties with the superagency model in order to determine a health and human services director salary range.

Based on Lake County's compensation plan, Huchingson said there is not enough range for a health and human services director, the salary for whom would not come from the general fund, without increasing the highest paid general fund positions.

“Simply put, despite this model being obviously the best way to go, there's no room to insert the health and human services director class in our current compensation plan, particularly at a time when we're facing the most challenging fiscal year in many years, if not ever,” she said, noting not just fiscal costs but morale impacts on other department heads.

While the model appears to be the best for service delivery, Huchingson said she couldn't recommend the county pursue it this year.

She said that establishing the new agency would be a process that would take several years.

The county would look for an experienced health and human services director, create a classification and a complementary number of support staff, task the director with the transition and then initiate it, Huchingson said.

She said county administrative staff will look at the county's ability to implement the new agency at the beginning of every budget cycle.

Board Chair Rob Brown said he appreciated staff's work in the analysis and the objective view that Huchingson offered.

Huchingson thanked the three interim directors, noting that Thompson, Maes and Pomeroy have served in their positions since February, April and July, respectively, juggling incredible workloads.

“It's absolutely time that your board take steps to permanently fill those positions,” Huchingson said.

She advised the board that when they make job offers to the three final director candidates, the county should make it clear that it intends to move forward with the health and human services agency model when feasible, at which time salaries would be changed.

Brown said he wanted the three interim directors to know that, as the board considers going out to an open recruitment, he had no doubt in their abilities.

Supervisor Jim Comstock added that all three are “outstanding,” and he expects – and hopes – all three will apply for the permanent jobs.

At Huchingson's urging, the board wrapped up the discussion by giving staff approval to move forward with an open recruitment for all three positions.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.