Town public welfare officers; appointment of staff

§ 67. Town public welfare officers; appointment of staff. 1. The town board of each town responsible for the expense of providing safety net assistance for persons residing or found in such town shall appoint a social services official or authorize a supervisor of the town to act as such official. It may in its discretion appoint an assistant town social services official and other employees to assist the town social services official in carrying out his or her duties. The town social services official, his or her assistant and other employees shall hold office during the pleasure of the town board. The town board shall fix the salary to be paid a town social services official, his or her assistant or other employees or fix the amount per hour to be paid them when they are performing any duty connected with their office.

2. The town public welfare officer shall be responsible for the authorization of the assistance and care for which the town is responsible and shall assist the county commissioner in the administration of assistance and care to persons residing or found in his town for whose care the county public welfare district is responsible. Except as otherwise agreed and arranged by and between the county commissioner and the town public welfare officer, the town public welfare officer shall receive all applications for public assistance and care made in his town by residents of such town, and he shall forward each such application to the county commissioner immediately after the receipt of the same. He shall have all the powers and perform all the duties of a public welfare official applicable to the work hereby assigned.

3. In case of emergency and until it is possible for the county commissioner either to take charge of the case or to make a complete investigation, the town public welfare officer may grant such temporary assistance and care as may be necessary. All such grants made by the town public welfare officer shall be made in accordance with the rules and regulations of the department and the regulations established by the county commissioner of public welfare.