Ash County approves DSS investigator reclassification as disaster recovery continues

Ash County commissioners on Feb. 17 approved reclassifying a vacant Department of Social Services (DSS) position to an Income Maintenance Investigator 2 and heard updates on disaster case management and emergency energy assistance following Hurricane Helene.

The change, made on the recommendation of Tracy McMillan, the county’s DSS director, was intended to align the job title and duties with the Office of State Human Resources’ description for investigator work the department now expects the position to perform. McMillan told the board the position is currently vacant and will be posted once the reclassification is final.

McMillan said disaster case management remains active in the county. She reported that, as of December, 23 households had transitioned into alternate housing such as short-term rentals and campers; at the time of her Feb. 17 remarks she said 42 people were living in donated campers. She said case managers had opened 73 cases and had handled 102 cases in total so far.

"That's been a tremendous help, to have so many donations of campers," McMillan said, attributing some shelter capacity to donated units and to volunteer and nonprofit partners. She told commissioners that Samaritan's Purse had committed to rebuild three homes and Baptist on Mission had committed to rebuild two through the county’s case-management process.

McMillan also described work to strengthen program-integrity (fraud-investigation) capacity in the department. She said the county plans to subcontract some of the investigative tasks — for example, rare stakeouts and activities that require specialized experience — to a private investigator, Robert Newsome, who has worked with child-support enforcement. The reclassification to an investigator title is intended, McMillan said, to more accurately reflect the position’s duties and to help recruit and retain staff for a role that has experienced turnover in recent years.

The director asked commissioners to use their contacts to try to restore NCWorks grant funding that supports disaster case managers. McMillan said NCWorks funds for Ash County were cut and that the grant currently runs out in March; she asked the board to press the state Department of Commerce or NCWorks administrators to include Ash County again so case-management work can continue through the fiscal year.

On funding, McMillan provided a financial update for the Ash County Recovery and Restoration nonprofit, reporting a Jan. 31 balance of $155,906.99 and noting a $20,000 Rotary Club grant and an application from the Home Builders Association for $60,000.

Action: Commissioners voted to reclassify the vacant position to Income Maintenance Investigator 2 and to post and recruit for the role. The board’s motion and vote were recorded as approved; individual roll-call tallies were not provided in the transcript.

The board’s approval means the county will advertise the posted position and proceed with recruitment and training. McMillan said the reclassification will not increase the projected pay for the role beyond what was anticipated; it changes title and the job description to match the expected investigative duties.

Commissioners also discussed turnover in the unit, the training required for the investigative work, and the department’s plans to retain employees in the role. McMillan said the county had had "3 or 4 people in the last 4 or 5 years" in that position, with some employees moving to other roles after receiving training.

Looking ahead, McMillan asked the board to help restore NCWorks support and to continue coordinating with nonprofit and volunteer partners who have been providing temporary housing and rebuild assistance.

Ending note: The board approved the reclassification and directed staff to post the vacancy; commissioners also heard ongoing recovery and funding updates related to energy assistance and case management.