Following a thorough review of the services offered to the Gaston County community, County Manager Matt Rhoten announced the elimination of the Community Support Services Division. Eleven positions (one of which is currently vacant) are being eliminated as the county seeks to ensure residents are getting the most efficient service delivery for their tax dollars.
The departments under CSS – Hope United Survivor Network, Veterans Services, and ACCESS — will be reassigned within the county and their daily operations and service are unaffected. The work being done on the opioid crisis and homelessness in Gaston County will be shifted to other staff within the Department of Health and Human Services.
“These are very difficult decisions we don’t take lightly, knowing these changes impact valued staff and their families,” Rhoten said. “Our CSS staff did excellent work, but we also have a responsibility to our taxpayers to be as efficient with our resources as possible, and sometimes that means having to make a hard choice.
“We remain very much committed to working on these larger issues of homelessness and opioid addiction and recovery, but part of that work will be a greater partnership and empowerment of community organizations committed to tackling these complex questions.”
Through the elimination of the positions, which includes salaries, benefits, and other associated operating costs, the county projects to save nearly $1.5 million annually. The county is currently assessing the future use of the CSS building on Long Avenue, which could lead to additional cost savings.
