Saline County Commissioners Move to Dissolve Health Department Advisory Council Due to Poor Attendance
Saline County commissioners agreed Tuesday to eliminate the Saline County Health Department Advisory Council after years of struggling with poor attendance and inability to achieve quorum for meetings.
Saline County Health Department Director Jason Tiller presented the proposal to dissolve the 11-member council, citing significant attendance problems that prevented the board from functioning effectively.
"In 2025 there were six scheduled meetings, and of those three were cancelled because of a significant number of absences," Tiller told commissioners. "Of the three that happened, there was not enough for a quorum to vote or to do anything."
The advisory council was originally created by county resolution in September 2015 but was paused during the pandemic. It resumed meeting in February 2023 after revamping efforts. Despite switching to a bimonthly schedule in 2024 to increase engagement, attendance problems persisted.
The board currently has nine voting members and two ex-officio members, with at least three vacant positions that have proven difficult to fill.
"I think that staff time would be better spent doing something else," Commissioner Shadwick said, noting that commissioners already serve as the official board of health and receive regular updates from Tiller.
Tiller agreed the advisory council has outlived its usefulness, saying he can form project-specific coalitions when community input is needed rather than maintaining a standing board.
"I can at any time put together a coalition or project group of partners for whatever we need to do that would probably be more effective," Tiller said.
Since the advisory council was established by resolution, commissioners must pass a formal resolution to dissolve it. Tiller will bring that resolution back to a future meeting for official approval.
The move reflects broader challenges many local governments face in maintaining volunteer boards amid declining civic participation.