A proposed staffing modification by the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners involving the Environmental Health division has been met with strong opposition by the Caldwell County Board of Health.

According to the county commission agenda outline for the Monday, Feb. 1 meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the City-County Chambers in Lenoir, the board is scheduled to consider reclassifying a vacated position and create a new lead environmental health specialist post two pay grades higher than Ray Rhinehart, the unit’s current supervisor. Rhinehart would remain on staff, and his pay grade would not be affected, according to the plan.

The proposal follows the retirement of Tony Whitt at the end of last year as an environmental health program specialist. Whitt formerly directed the division before accepting a lesser role in November 2007. He was replaced as supervisor by Rhinehart, who has worked for the county for nearly five years.

During a special called meeting this week in the Tammy Austin Conference Room at the Caldwell County Human Services Building in Lenoir, the board of health unanimously approved crafting a letter to the commissioners against the measure.

Board of Health Chairman Marion Rothrock said the proposal reflects “more micromanagement” by the county commission at a time when, according to a North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources study, the environmental health section remains understaffed to perform its state-mandated functions.

There currently are four budgeted positions in environmental health, though the state study recommended having at least five full-time employees and one part-time staff member. A year ago, two environmental health specialists were terminated as part of a budget-cutting move by a divided county commission. According to Caldwell County Human Resources Director David Hill, without a change in Whitt’s former position classification, the county – in keeping with its personnel ordinance – would have to give priority to rehiring one of the laid-off workers.

Rothrock also takes issue with the proposal from a budgetary standpoint, noting that the county could replace Whitt’s final annual salary of $55,044 with a former or new employee who would be earning approximately $17,000 per year less. However, he expects the county will have to pay at least what Whitt was making in his final year in order to attract a qualified candidate for the position being proposed.

Rothrock has suggested using the savings the county could realize through hiring a full-time employee below Whitt’s salary by adding a part-time employee or utilizing contracted labor to meet the division’s demands.

Among the primary functions of the Environmental Health division are sanitation inspections of food-service operations, including schools and adult care homes; inspection and certification of on-site waste water septic systems; inspection and certification of private wells; childhood lead poisoning prevention; inspection of public swimming pools; and certification of tattoo parlors and artists.

Commissioners plan

revaluation delay

Also on the agenda for Monday night’s county commission meeting is a resolution to delay property tax revaluation once again until 2013. A year ago, the board postponed the planned four-year revaluation. Because the revaluation process already had been set in motion by the previous board in 2008, the county needed approval of a waiver by the North Carolina General Assembly to make the change.

According to the proposal, revaluation would not kick in until 2013, and future revaluations would be done on an eight-year cycle, the longest period of time the state allows between reassessments. In recent years, several counties have adopted a four-year revaluation cycle, in order to reflect changes in growth and development patterns.

Caldwell County’s property tax rate currently stands at 65.99 cents per $100 valuation, the highest level when compared to neighboring counties. A $100,000 residence in Caldwell County is taxed $659.90, while municipalities such as Granite Falls, Lenoir, Hudson and Sawmills have additional property tax rates for their residents.