Madison County commissioners are considering a takeover of the county Board of Health, a move opposed by many residents and health officials.

Commissioners appointed three new members to the 11-member Board of Health: Dyatt Smathers, Robin Smith, and Melissa Sluder.

MARSHALL – Ahead of the Madison County commissioners’ public hearing for a controversial proposed takeover of the county Board of Health, more than 20 residents spoke in public comments to offer their thoughts on the takeover, the majority of them disapproving of the takeover.

The commissioners also voted to appoint three new members to the Madison County Board of Health. The 11-member Board of Health is comprised of four public citizens, as well as a physician, dentist, veterinarian, nurse, pharmacist, engineer, a county commissioner and four citizens.

In its June 16 meeting, the Madison County Board of Commissioners approved a motion to add Dyatt Smathers to the Board of Health. The motion was introduced by Commissioner Bill Briggs and seconded by Vice Chair Jeremy Hensley.

The Board of Commissioners also voted to appoint Robin Smith as another public citizen. Hensley introduced the motion to appoint Smith and said former member Joey Chandler resigned from the health board in its May meeting.

Additionally, the commissioners voted to appoint Melissa Sluder to the Board of Health after a registered nurse position had been vacant since February, according to Commissioner Michael Garrison, who introduced the motion.

In its May 13 meeting, the Madison County Board of Commissioners voted to explore the potential takeover, citing North Carolina General Statute 153A-77 allows county commissioner boards to gain control over boards, agencies and commissions, such as a county Board of Health.

Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Jeremy Hensley serves on the Board of Health.

Since the takeover was introduced in May, Hensley has said he advocated for the takeover because he feels it would place any liability on the county’s elected officials.

“Personally, I do not want an individual that is volunteering their time with no pay and not elected to be able to be sued personally or also to be making legal decisions that affects the citizens of this county,” Hensley said.

But local health care professionals and health board members, including Dr. Bob Adams, a retired dentist from Mars Hill who has served on the board, including as chair, since opening his practice in the 1970s, said they feel “blindsided” and “mystified” by the proposal and can’t make sense of it.

County Health Director Tammy Cody and Adams pointed to the county’s most recent state recertification in 2024, in which it was recognized with honors distinctions.

“All of our operations at the Health Department are running well,” said Cody. “We have no financial concerns and continue to pass all of our audits. None of our programs have corrective action plans. I am truly blessed to work with a dedicated board and staff who love our communities and want the best for all of our residents.”

Public comment

Before the meeting, Dr. Suzanne Sheldon, a veterinarian who operates French Broad Mobile Vet and a health board member, started a petition, “Petition to Maintain the Current Madison County Board of Health.”

In the petition, Sheldon said the county is “at a turning point” and that the commissioners’ proposed takeover would be a move that would shift authority from trained public health professionals to “elected officials with no medical backgrounds.”

More than 20 residents signed up to offer their thoughts in the public comment portion of the commissioners’ June 16 meeting.

Judge Jim Baker, of Marshall, is a former Madison commissioner who left to serve on the state Board of Elections in 2015. County Commissioner Chair Matt Wechtel was elected to replace him.

Baker also previously served on the Madison County Board of Health.

“I make no hesitation in telling you that I’m profoundly against the proposal to do away with the Board of Health as it currently exists, and an advisory board with the commissioners having the power of the Board of Health,” Baker said.

Baker cited both practical and political reasons he felt the takeover would be a mistake.

“The practical reasons, I think, are fairly obvious. The political reasons are not really as important as the practical reasons, but are still something that you all should carefully consider,” Baker said.

“First of all, as a practical reason, you’re going to lose the experienced health advisers that currently make up the current Board of Health. If you do away with our board as it currently exists, then your five members will be taking over the authority of the Board of Health, none of you – no insult intended – having the background in Board of Health that most of these members do.”

The statute also mandates an advisory board be instated alongside the Board of Commissioners should the Board of Commissioners vote to assume control of the Board of Health.

Laws and some of the commissioners mentioned the possibility of the current health board members staying on to serve on the advisory board.

But Adams said the current board is “so disappointed” that he wonders whether any of them would agree.

“The whole staff is kind of jittery now,” Adams said of the Health Department.

“As far as the current health board members being a support and an advocacy board, that’s the board’s biggest impact. That trickles down to the whole morale and mood of the Health Department staff.”

In his comments to the board, Baker said he, too, felt finding members to serve on an advisory board would be difficult.

“Do you think that the people who are on the Board of Health now are going to be willing to be demoted to an advisory board, I would say that most are not, and you’re going to have trouble finding replacements, since there are some medical positions where we only have one,” Baker said, pointing to the new duties and time required by the commissioners as another practical concern of a proposed takeover.

Amy Pearson, who lives outside Marshall, praised the commissioners and said she would like to support the commissioners but would like to hear more background on why a change was introduced in the first place.

“I’d like to support and them and better understand,” Pearson said. “I know there are a lot of people that support not changing things. Why a change is necessary is completely unclear, I believe, not only to me but to everybody here.”

Breanne Nelson, of Spring Creek, recounted a recent visit to a car repair shop, where she pleaded with the mechanic to let her drive her car back to Spring Creek, but was told by the mechanic that she would be in danger of having her steering wheel fall off.

“I’m not a mechanic,” Nelson said. “I trust the people that we have on this health board. They are professionals who have had between four and 12 years of education. They are licensed individuals who have a license that they have to live up to and be accountable to, that has nothing to do with the political swings of the time.”

Madison County has operated its Madison County Board of Health since the 1970s.

“I do think that having a Board of Health that is appointed with the people that have that knowledge and background and experience and who know that that sound in the car is something that is really dangerous, that is why we have a governing Board of Health instead of giving it to our county commissioners,” Nelson said.

The Madison County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed health board takeover in its July 8 meeting at 7 p.m. at 258 Carolina Lane in Marshall.

Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.