Current assistant director at the department of job and family services, Terry Porter, will take the job of interim director of the DJFS, as the county commissioners decide who will have the post permanently.

Today is the last day on the job for DJFS director Gene Myers, who is taking retirement after 30 years with the department. Myers assumed the post of director in 2006. At that time Porter, who has been with the department for 20 years, took over the job of assistant director in 2011.

Starting salary for the director is $85,000 each year with a 2 percent raise annually. Porter will receive that salary as the interim, Myers said.

Commissioner Bill Pratt made the motion to name Porter as interim director. It passed unanimously.

Besides Porter, there are 10 others seeking the director’s job. They are Ironton attorney Paul David Knipp, Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship, Ironton finance director Kristen Martin, retired DJFS employee Kenneth Ater, current DJFS employees Brad Carpenter and Lisa Massie, Jackson attorney Christen Finley, Necco employee Donna Reynolds, Scioto County DJFS employee Sharon Brumfield and delivery industry operations manager Shane Meadows.

The commissioners will begin interviewing on April 24 or April 27, depending on the schedule of the job applicants.

Commission president Les Boggs said he hopes to have someone in place by the first of May.

“It doesn’t have to be done in a hurry since we have an interim director,” Boggs said.

In other action the commission:

• Received a request from the village of Proctorville for $50,000 from Community Development Block Grants for sidewalks;

• Signed an amended contract with Rumpke for the courthouse and jail site reducing current monthly charge from $360 to $330;

• Referred an inmate phone proposal from ICSolutions to the county prosecutor for review;

• Received the weekly dog warden report for 3/28 where no dogs were destroyed, 41 adopted or sent to rescue and four dogs redeemed by their owners; for 4/4 where one dog was destroyed, 11 adopted or sent to rescue and none redeemed; and for 4/11 where one dog was destroyed, 14 adopted or sent to rescue and none redeemed.