Fiscal Note
This resolution authorizes the reallocation of existing staff resources into a management team. This reorganization will not result in a net increase in the number of authorized full-time equivalent employees. No additional appropriation is necessary.
Title
Endorsing the City of Madison and County of Dane Joint Public Health Management Team.
Body
WHEREAS, in March of 2005, the City of Madison and the County of Dane entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) to merge the Madison Department of Public Health and the Dane County Division of Health (public health agencies), pursuant to sec. 251.02(1m), Wis. Stats; and
WHEREAS, the IGA provides for (a) the merger of the two boards of health into a single Board of Health for Madison and Dane County (BOHMDC), (b) the hiring of a single Director, and (c) the establishment of a structure to move toward full merger of the existing public health agencies into a joint City-County health department to be known as the Madison and Dane County Health Department (MDCHD), to be accomplished by December 31, 2007; and,
WHEREAS, the IGA provides, in sec. IV.B.3.a., that the Director "shall have direct responsibility for the transition to and operation of the MDCHD"; and,
WHEREAS, Dr. Thomas Schlenker was recently hired as the Director charged with the above responsibility and, as one of the first steps toward accomplishing the required merger of the existing public health agencies, Dr. Schlenker will be assigning six (6) current employees to a management team, drawing the members of this management team from the existing pool of City and County public health agency employees; and
WHEREAS, four (4) of these employees, all of whom currently have supervisory responsibilities within their respective public health agencies, will be responsible for managing distinct public health programs, and will be required, therefore, to supervise the staff who are currently, or in the future will be, assigned to each such public health program(s); and
WHEREAS, the staff assigned to each of the public health programs will include both City and County employees and, therefore, it will be necessary and appropriate for the members of the management team to supervise both the City employees and the County public health employees assigned to the manager's area of program responsibility; and
WHEREAS, such transitional steps are in accord with the goal of a merged MDCHD and the desires of the City and County to further the public interest in creating a single health department.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Madison endorses the transitional steps being taken by the BOHMDC and Health Director Schlenker; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the BOHMDC and Dr. Schlenker shall advise the Common Council every six months of further significant steps taken toward the MDCHD merger.