Public hearing highlights staffing shortages, oversight concerns, and emotional testimony from taxpayers, families, and employees
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By Annie Dance | Lake Lure News | Cops & Congress | News & Commentary
RUTHERFORDTON, N.C. — The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to dissolve the county’s independent Department of Social Services (DSS) board and place the agency under direct oversight of county commissioners following a lengthy public hearing focused on staffing shortages, oversight concerns, and child welfare cases.
The action abolishes the former Rutherford County Department of Social Services Board effective May 12, 2026, and transfers all powers and responsibilities to the county commission under North Carolina General Statute 153A-77A.
The dissolved DSS board consisted of Chairperson Leon Godlock, Vice Chairperson David Herndon, Suzanne Porter, Lynn Hoppes and Sydney Pellegrini Moore.
The five-member county commission now overseeing DSS includes Chairman Bryan King, Vice Chairman Alan Toney, and commissioners Michael Benfield, Donnie Haulk, and Hunter Haynes.
King, Toney and Benfield did not run for re-election. There will be three new commissioners following the November election. Two Republican primary winners, Allen Hardin, and Adam Yelton, do not have a Democrat opponent. Scott Haynes (R) will face Phil Burney (D) on the ballot.
During the hearing, commissioners said the move had been discussed for “years” and was driven by growing state mandates, financial liability concerns, employee turnover and increasing public demands for accountability.
Public records did not show any “study” attached to the meeting agenda.
Commissioners repeatedly stressed that the change is not a consolidation of county departments, but rather a governance restructuring that places the DSS director under direct oversight of elected officials.
Under the previous structure, the DSS board operated independently from the county commission, though county taxpayers remained financially responsible for DSS operations and state audit findings.
Officials said the new structure would create a more direct line of accountability between DSS leadership and county government while allowing commissioners to respond more quickly to operational concerns.
The public hearing drew emotional testimony from residents, DSS employees and community advocates.
One grandfather from Lake Lure described spending thousands of dollars seeking custody of grandchildren he said were exposed to homelessness and illegal drug use while DSS cases were later closed. He told commissioners he feared vulnerable children could “fall through the cracks” if staffing shortages and case overloads are not addressed.
Several speakers defended DSS employees while warning that the agency has struggled for years with staffing and retention issues.
Current DSS board member Lynn Hoppes told commissioners the department needs “resources,” “support” and more competitive pay to stop losing trained workers to neighboring counties.
Workers are routinely stretched beyond capacity, covering both daytime duties and after-hours emergency response responsibilities, according to the public hearing comments.
Commissioners acknowledged the strain on employees and cited fears that continued turnover and heavy caseloads could eventually lead to serious failures involving vulnerable residents.
Questions about transparency and timing also emerged during the hearing. Taxpayers asked why the county was restructuring DSS while both the county manager and DSS director positions remain in transition.
Commissioner Hunter Haynes said he would issue a public letter outlining his goals for the transition and said commissioners want Social Services to become “one of the best DSS agencies the state can have.”
At the close of the hearing, commissioners unanimously adopted the resolution abolishing the DSS board.
Read the agenda (backup on DocumentCloud) and transcript in the player above (or on DocumentCloud) for more details.
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