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• <br /> 009 <br /> This proposal will require the transfer of 1,120 positions from DHR <br /> Division of Health Services and Secretary's Office and 1,944 from DNRCD to the <br /> new department. From DNRCD 17 positions in Economic Opportunity to DHR, 72 <br /> positions in Community Development Block Grant and Employment and Training to <br /> the Department of Commerce and 29 positions in Community Assistance Planning <br /> to the Department of Administration. Transfer of supporting budgets for these <br /> personnel and their programs will also be required. One major advantage of <br /> this option is that the line units within the new structure can remain <br /> basically intact and the existing hierarchy within the units can be retained. <br /> Thus, these units will be able to function with little interruption. <br /> CONSIDERATIONS <br /> a) Relationship with Local Government <br /> In the course of developing this proposal, representatives of health <br /> organizations and local government told us of the need to maintain a <br /> close relationship between public health and environmental protection <br /> and the need to make it possible for local health departments to deal <br /> with a single state agency for health and environmental issues. <br /> A primary consideration addressed by this proposal is retention of <br /> ties with the local health department programs. More than 700 <br /> environmental health employees in local health departments currently <br /> conduct over 89,000 site investigations for on-site sewage treatment <br /> and disposal systems each year, sample wells serving private <br /> residences and facilities under their jurisdiction, provide the <br /> staffing for most of the State's food, lodging and institutional <br /> sanitation programs, assure the safety of the milk supply from the <br /> farm to the store, and provide the citizens a link with government in <br /> a wide variety of other sanitation programs. The cost to the State <br /> of losing this link would be substantial, since at this time, <br /> virtually no state funds are provided to support these programs. <br /> Under this proposal the relationship with local government in <br /> environmental and natural resource management basically will be <br /> unchanged. Delegation of administration of environmental and health <br /> protection programs to local government agencies will continue as <br /> appropriate. <br /> b) Boards and Commissions <br /> If a departmental reorganization is enacted, the matter of boards and <br /> commissions must- be addressed. The General Assembly will have to <br /> address the realignment of boards and commissions, address the <br /> - delegations of authority between the new department and the local <br /> agencies, and provide appropriate funding. It is believed this <br /> option is most likely to leave the existing local agency <br /> relationships intact. <br /> - 2 - <br />