Greene County Commissioners approved the expansion of a county jobs and family services committee on Thursday that will now include child welfare professionals or advocates.

Commissioner Tom Koogler’s plan for an independent children services committee stalled when his motion was not supported by a second commissioner.

Commissioners Alan Anderson and Bob Glaser voted to add three additional members to the existing Greene County Jobs and Family Services’ 15-member family services planning committee.

The JFS Family Services Planning Committee is required under state law and serves as an advisory committee on family services to the county commissioners. The committee must conduct an annual review, analyze jobs and family services programs and make recommendations to the commissioners.

The vote on whether to expand the existing committee came almost three months after Greene County Children Services merged with the county jobs and family services department following an unexpected vote by the former county commission board on Nov. 20.

Glaser said he recognized the need for members of the public on the committee, however he disagreed with Koogler on the idea of a separate committee focused on children services.

“I think we’re in a little bit of a quandary as to the structure,” said Glaser shortly before he made his motion to expand the existing committee.

During Thursday’s meeting, Koogler said the children services committee would lose its voice if it functioned as a subcommittee of a large group established to focus on the county jobs and family services department.

“I think the children of the community will suffer as a result of this,” Koogler said.

Anderson had concerns that an independent committee did not support the idea of the agencies working together.

“I think we’re all on the same page,” Anderson said. “… But I think it’s important to build bridges between them (the two social services agencies) not build walls.”