(1) It is the duty of the county board to appoint a county director, who is charged with the executive and administrative duties and responsibilities of the county department, subject to the policies and rules of the state department and the department of early childhood, and who serves as secretary to the county board, unless a secretary is otherwise appointed by the board. The board of county commissioners of the county shall establish the salary of the county director. The state department shall reimburse the salary of the county director as provided in section 26-1-120.
(2) In the case of a district department established pursuant to section 26-1-115 (2), the district board shall appoint one district director to serve the entire district. Such district director shall be appointed in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the county director provided for in subsection (1) of this section. The district director shall, in relation to the district department, have all the powers, duties, and responsibilities which the county director has in relation to the county department.
Source: L. 73: R&RE, p. 1170, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 119-1-16. L. 81: (1) amended, p. 1369, § 1, effective June 9. L. 97: (1) amended, p. 1189, § 7, effective July 1. L. 2022: (1) amended, (HB 22-1295), ch. 123, p. 852, § 85, effective July 1.
ANNOTATION
County departments functional division of state department. It is clear that the county departments of social services, and the merit system council, are both functional divisions of the state department of social services for the convenient administration of the state program and are not independent entities separate and distinct from the state. Nadeau v. Merit Sys. Council, 36 Colo. App. 362, 545 P.2d 1061 (1975).
Province of the county board is to appoint the county director, fix his salary, approve appointments, and raise the money to pay the bill. State Bd. of Soc. Servs. v. Billings, 175 Colo. 380, 487 P.2d 1110 (1971).
Director subject to policies, rules, and regulations of state department. The director of a county department of social services, while appointed by the county board, is subject to the policies, rules, and regulations of the state department. Martin v. District Court, 191 Colo. 107, 550 P.2d 864 (1976).
Applied in Dempsey v. City & County of Denver, 649 P.2d 726 (Colo. App. 1982).