A request to combine two positions into one did not go as planned during a contentious Johnson County Council meeting on Monday.

The Johnson County Health Officer, Dr. Jefferson Qualls, asked the council to combine the Johnson County Health Director and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator positions under a new salary of $116,334.43. Although the council agreed to combine the positions, they voted to combine the positions, but did not agree to increase wages for the combined position. The pay was approved at $88,593, which is the approved salary for the health director for 2025.

This is a downward shift from the approximately $124,000 total that the Health Director Betsy Swearingen has been making when drawing the pay for doing the work of both positions, according to Qualls.

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