NORWICH — Recently, Chenango County officials proposed to make a change to the Area Agency on Aging Chenango County by reducing staff and placing the agency under a new department, the Department of Human Services.

The proposal was presented to the Health and Human Services committee last Monday and is set to be voted on by the board during the May 11 supervisors’ meeting. No formal public comment period will be scheduled between now and then.

If the proposal is passed, most of the department’s responsibilities would be reallocated and its leadership roles would be dismantled. The proposal includes eliminating nine positions from the agency including the director of agency, deputy director of aging, second deputy of aging, three senior outreach workers, a nutrition services aide, program aide, and part time aging services aide.

"We know that under a different structure, there are ways we can be more efficient with how services are delivered through the umbrella of the Department of Human Services," said County Personnel Officer Matthew Caldwell.

"We have every expectation that the quantity and quality of service for customers will not diminish," Caldwell added.

He noted their intent is to keep the agency’s office location in the same area in the county building.

 

Also, part of the Department of Social Services and Preston Manor administration will join parts of the Agency on Aging to form the new Human Services Department.

Caldwell said after months of consideration, officials believe the new structure will allow a more streamlined agency with less need of higher-level management.

“It's always an effort to look at how government operations can run more efficiently and effectively with the goal of providing the same or better services to the community,” he said.

Under the new department, three new positions will be created and include a deputy commissioner of human services, principal account clerk and senior case worker. 

The salary for accounting supervisors will receive an increase in salary to Grade B position.

Although Caldwell couldn’t recall when the conversations for change first began, he said it was started at the committee level and included the prior discussions with Agency Director Heather Collier, who has since been placed on paid leave.

In prior conversations Collier said she had been working through structuring improvements for months and was concerned with the lack of official support for the agency.

She said the budget request was denied, positions were left vacant and the board requested the closure of a few senior centers.

According to September 2025 meeting notes, Collier approached the needs of the agency, requesting to hire a first deputy and second deputy, both of which the department had been without for an extended period of time.

According to the minute meetings, The personnel office had previously withheld the hires in hopes of combining positions with another position in Public Health, yet in the meeting notes, Collier states she was not notified.

Also, Collier requested additional agency funding and to create a principal outreach worker position as the deputy position was vacant.

The requests were met with opposition, officials noting the timing wasn’t right as the board was in the middle of the 2026 budget and the agency budget had already been reviewed.

Months of agency concerns and meetings continued, some of which went into closed executive sessions, and in mid-January, Collier was removed from her position and placed on paid personal leave.

Caldwell explained the directors’ leave and the department’s reduction were not related. The only information shared about Collier’s departure was that it was related to personnel-related issue.

He confirmed the board recently changed Collier’s leave to unpaid.

The Evening Sun reached out to Collier, but she declined to comment on the matter.

Chenango County Attorney Zachary Wentworth noted the work for the restructuring package was completed by the DSS commissioner, the board chair, and staff working through the details to present to the board, ensuring they make sense to preserve the services and also making them more efficient.

He said a lot of the leg work was done in cooperation with the Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Dan Auwater, with his vision of having a broader department of human services.

Auwater’s title would be changed from Commissioner of Social Services to Commissioner of Human Services.

“If the board decides to move forward, there will be some consolidation of management to see where they can be more efficient with the resources they have,” said Wentworth.

 

He explained they have spoken with people that work for the Agency on Aging in surrounding counties and talked with the state to determine results that will be more efficient while maintaining the same level of service.

 

Asked, if there was an over hiring of agency staff in the recent past, Wentworth said he was unsure that was the case, adding, “but the people looking at the restructuring now think they will be able to provide the same amount of service with a smaller amount of people.”

If the proposal is passed during the May 11 board meeting, personnel will go through the process for the reduction in staff, which usually takes about two to three weeks.

“We want to make sure it’s at least three weeks or longer,” Wentworth added.

He said some of the employees may have the opportunity to be hired elsewhere into a different government job but there is also a process under the civil service law as well as going through their required contracts.

 

If the agency changes take place, he said the director of human services will be accountable to the department and the board is going to want to be mindful of the members in the community.

 

Wentworth explained many board members advocated for the senior services and will not want to see a reduction in those services.

He also said they believe the staffing model will maintain services and at the same time, if they need to add people back, they can later if needed.

 

Some of the employees said they learned of the reductions through social media. A few agency employees shared their concerns online.

A previous employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Evening Sun she had many questions about how less workers could keep up with the amount of caseloads, especially during open enrollment.

She said during the three month period of open enrollment in October through December, all of the outreach workers have full scheduled days, helping clients decide if they want to keep their insurance or change. Three less employees would mean less clients served.

Additionally, she pointed to the quarterly records sent to the state last year that showed Chenango County outreach workers provided between 1700 and 1900 units of service.

 

Other individuals spoke out, also wishing to remain anonymous, stating the cut in staffing could affect the agency’s ability to deliver community needs.

They said with less drivers to deliver meals and less nutrition staff, delays in home delivered meals could become an issue and there may be a possibility of closing senior meal centers.

Community members shared their support on social media accounts, stating their opposition and requesting residents stand against the proposal.

For additional information on committee and board meeting notes, visit the Chenango County Website at www.chenangocountyny.gov.