Bill Brooks has announced he’ll be leaving the position of executive director for Cowley County Developmental Services at the end of the year. His last day is Dec. 31.
"I’m ready to retire," Brooks, who has been with the organization since April 2000, said Wednesday night.
His departure comes as county commissioners and staff review the performance of Brooks’s organization, which is designated as this county’s community development disability organization, commonly known as a CDDO. Such a designation means Cowley County Developmental Services is charged with distributing money to local organizations that provide care for the developmentally disabled.
Most years, CCDS has retained its CCDO gatekeeper status ? the state requires a CDDO be designated each year ? with little, if any, formal discussion, county administrator Leroy Alsup said. But that changed this year after care providers expressed concerns to the county about how money was being spent and managed.
"We were hearing complaints," Alsup said. "We had concerns expressed to us last spring."
That led the county to take the unusual step of putting out a request for proposals to any group interested in becoming CDDO for Cowley County.
County commissioners will hold a public hearing Dec. 1 to consider those proposals. Though Alsup thinks there is a good chance CCDS will retain its gatekeeper status, he also said the county is committed to making sure the organization is run properly.
Alsup had heard Brooks was announcing his departure, but the county administrator would not say how that might affect the process of selecting a CDDO. The county will consider information from annual reviews of CCDS and audit information compiled by the state.
"There’ll be more details that come out at the public hearing," Alsup said. "Some interesting details."
