AUBURN - After months of discussion, the Cayuga County Health and Human Services committee and the Community Services Board have reached a consensus of hiring one person to fill the director of mental health and the director of the Community Services Board positions for a period of six months.

Katharine O'Connell has agreed to take on both interim positions, said Health and Human Services chairperson Ann Petrus, R-Brutus.

The Ways and Means committee Tuesday voted 7-0 to bring O'Connell's name before the Legislature Aug. 26. Members of the Health and Human Services committee and the Community Services Board say they are pleased with the decision.

“She's an excellent candidate,” said Linda Albrecht, chairperson of the Community Services Board. “We're lucky to get her. She's got a really good resume. She's done this kind of thing before, that is, come into organizations that are troubled.”

O'Connell, currently a private consultant, will be paid a combined salary of $90,000, $60,000 for the director of mental health position and $30,000 for the director of the board. The split of the salaries was previously determined during the time David Blair held the positions and has not been revised since, Albrecht said.

The Community Services Board had to agree to appoint O'Connell to the position of director, however she is still considered an employee of the county. In the past, the county has had one person fill both positions, as was the case with Blair.

“We talked and we came to the table and we will continue to come to the table and discuss issues,” Petrus said. “We may not always agree but we can at least agree to disagree. And that's quite a bit further than we have been in the past.”

O'Connell was first interviewed by the Health and Human Services committee and then by the Community Services Board, Albrecht said. Because this is an interim position, it gives the committee and the board time to do things “right rather than rushed.”

During the discussion in the Ways and Means committee meeting, legislator Raymond Lockwood, R-Sterling, moved the motion immediately.

“This is long overdue. We need somebody out there,” Lockwood said.

When Albrecht became the interim chairperson of the board, she, along with her vice chairperson Deborah Schwarting, recommended hiring an interim director until a permanent person could be found, Albrecht said. They were not successful in “selling the idea” at the time, but circumstances have brought the legislators to the same conclusion. Hiring an interim will allow the Health and Human Services committee and the Community Services Board to choose the right person or people for the positions because they will have the time to research what is the best approach to take.

“We didn't want to have to make a long-term decision based on the urgency of the moment,” Albrecht said.

Both the Community Services Board and the Health and Human Services committee are satisfied with the discussions they have had.

“It's that we're having conversations,” Schwarting said.

“That's huge. Last week was the first time that we've ever been able to just talk in those meetings. We went back and forth. They listened to us and we heard them,” Albrecht said.

Petrus is confident that both resolutions will be approved by the Legislature.

“I think it will pass and I think that as Mr. Lockwood said, it's time,” Petrus said. “We need to move on. This person is going to help us through that period and then, we'll look to the permanent.”

Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net