(a) The county board of health shall appoint as its chief executive officer a director who shall be a physician licensed to practice medicine under Chapter 34 of Title 43 and who otherwise meets the requirements of the State Merit System of Personnel Administration. The director, subject to the approval of the county board of health, shall designate aides and assistants pursuant to the budget adopted by the county board of health in accordance with Code Section 31-3-14.

(b) Each employee of a county board of health whose duties include enforcing those environmental health laws of this state or environmental health regulations of that board of health relating to septic tanks or individual sewage management systems shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the district director of environmental health, although the hiring and termination from employment of such employee shall be subject to the director of that county board of health. The employment activities of such employee with regard to environmental health shall be reported to the director of environmental health through the district director of environmental health at least quarterly. The director of environmental health may recommend to that director of that county board of health personnel actions, including but not limited to termination, which the director of environmental health deems appropriate for such employee's failure or refusal to comply with the direction of the director of environmental health in the carrying out of the environmental health employment duties of such employee. As used in this subsection, the term "director of environmental health" means the director of environmental health of the Division of Public Health of the Department of Human Resources.