And by mid-July, her time is up, so her permanent replacement will have to be hired before then. Schmitz said eight candidates are being reviewed by the board of health. No information on the candidates has been made public. The board reviewed the candidates' applications in a closed session Thursday. She said that because the county health department accepts state grants, the director has to be certified by the State Department of Health.
Certification means the director needs certain minimum education, experience and skill requirements.
For example, a director needs a certain amount of experience in the public health field, and in supervising people. Schmitz began working for the county again March 22, moments after the board fired Janelle Grammer. Grammer joined the department in the summer of 2000, a few months after Schmitz retired. Schmitz was hired at the same salary for the time she works for the county.