Legislative Reference
ALAMEDA COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD
ARTICLE I
Section I NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Alameda County Mental Health Board.
Section II DEFINITION AND PURPOSE (Welfare & Institutions Code, Section 5604)
a. Reiew and ealuate the Alameda County mental health needs, facilities, serices and special problems.
b. Adise the County Board of Superisors on any aspect of the local mental health programs.
c. Adise the Alameda County Local Mental Health Director on any aspect of the local mental health program.
d. Reiew any county agreements or contracts entered into pursuant to Section 5650 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
e. Submit an annual report to the County Board of Superisors on the needs and performance of the county’s mental health system.
f. Reiew and approe the procedures used to insure citizen and professional inolement in all stages of the planning process.
g. Reiew and comment on the county’s performance outcome data and communicate its findings to the California Mental Health Planning Council.
h. Reiew and make recommendations on applications for the appointment of a local director of mental health to the County Board of Superisors. The Mental Health Board shall be included in the Selection process prior to the ote of the Goerning Body (Welfare and Institutions Code 5604.2a (6).
i. The Mental Health Board shall assess the impact of the realignment of serices from the state to the county, on serices deliered to clients and the local community.
j. Perform any other duties requested by the County Board of Superisors.
k. The Mental Health Board shall deelop bylaws to be approed by the Board of Superisor in accordance with Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5604.5.
Section III RELATIONSHIP TO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERISORS
The Mental Health Board will be formalized by County ordinance. It is anticipated that the County Board of Superisors, by irtue of ordinance and appointment, shall rely on the indiidual and collectie judgment of the board and its members for input on all mental health related issues.
Section I MEMBERSHIP (Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 5604)
a. The membership of the Mental Health Board shall be determined by the County Board of Superisors and established by ordinance. The Alameda County Mental Health Board will hae 16 members, one of whom shall be a member of the County Board of Superisors.
b. There shall be an equal number of appointees by each member of the Board of Superisors. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the ability of the goerning body to increase the number of members. Local mental health boards may recommend appointees to the county superisors. Counties are encouraged to appoint indiiduals who hae experience and knowledge of the mental health system. The Mental Health Board membership should reflect the ethnic and cultural diersity of the client population in the county.
c. Fifty percent of the Mental Health Board membership shall be consumers or the parents, spouse, sibling, or adult children of consumers, who are receiing or hae receied mental health serices (8). At least twenty percent of the membership shall be consumers (at least 3), and at least twenty percent shall be families of consumers (at least 3).
d. The Term of each member of the Mental Health Board shall be for three years. The goerning board shall equitably stagger the appointments so that approximately one-third of the appointments expire in each year.
e. Each Board member shall sere no more than three consecutie full three-year appointed terms. If appointed to a acant term, the total serice shall not exceed 10 years. Mental Health Board staff shall keep a record of appointment for each board member.
f. No member of the board or his or her spouse shall be a full-time employee or part time county employee of a county mental health serice, an employee of the State Department of Mental Health, or an employee of, or paid member of the goerning body of a mental health contract agency.
g. Members of the board shall abstain from oting on any issues in which the member has financial interest as defined in Section 87103 of the Goernment Code (Conflict of Interest).
Section MEETINGS (Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 56050)
Mental Health Boards shall be subject to the proisions of Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part I of Diision 2 of Title 5 of the Goernment Code, relating to meeting of local agencies (The Brown Act).
In addition:
a. Regular meetings shall be held at least 10 times each year.
Regular meetings are currently scheduled for the third Wednesday of the month at Eden Area Multiserice Center, 24100 Amador Street, Hayward, CA from 5:30-8p.m. A change of meeting site will be posted according to the Brown Act.
b. Special meetings shall be conened in the following matter:
1) Upon call of the Chair;
2) In accordance with Goernment Code section 54956, the Brown Act.
Section I OFFICERS
a. At the time of election of a Chair there shall also be elected a ice-Chair, and Secretary.
b. The Chair, ice Chair, Secretary and Chairs of other committees or their Mental Health Board Designee shall constitute the Executie Committee. These meetings should be attended by appropriate Mental Health Administration staff.
c. The officers shall sere on a yearly basis and be subject to election in June of each year.
Section II ELECTION OF OFFICERS
a. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Chair in May of each year to consist of no less than two members of the Mental Health Board.
b. The Chair, and ice-Chair, and Secretary shall not sit as Ex-Officio members of the Nominating Committee.
c. The Nominating Committee shall:
1) Select a slate of officers for the coming year.
2) Secure the erbal consent to sere of those selected.
3) Report back to the full Board in June with a slate of officers for the coming (fiscal—July through June) year.
4) The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall assume the Mental Health Board Chair to accept further nominations and conduct the election of officers during the June meeting of the year.
Section III TERMS OF OFFICE
New Officers shall begin their terms in July and sere for one year. No member shall hold more than three consecutie one year terms in the same office.
Section IX ACANCIES IN OFFICE
The Mental Health Board shall hold an election to fill any acancy occurring in any electie office for the unexpired term.
Section X POWERS & RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS
a. The Chair shall be the principal executie officer. He/she shall carry out the policies of this organization, its Executie Committee and its general body. He/she shall do eerything necessary to carry into effect the purposes of this organization including consultation with the local mental health director (5604.5(d).
b. The ice-Chair shall do eerything necessary to assist the Chair in the performance of his/her duties. In the eent of absence of the Chair, the ice-Chair shall exercise all the powers of the Chair.
c. The Secretary shall take the minutes of the Executie Committee meetings, reiew the minutes of the Mental Health Board prior to public distribution and assist the Chair and ice-Chair in the performance of their duties.
Section XI REMOAL OF OFFICERS
a. An officer may be remoed from office, for cause by the majority ote of all members casting secret ballots at an official Board meeting.
b. Adequate formal notice, in writing and person, must be gien to any officer of such an impending remoal action.
Section XII ACANCIES
When a acancy occurs, board staff shall contact the appropriate Goerning Board member to determine if she/he has a candidate for the acancy and/or if the member would consider recommendations from the Mental Health Board.
Section XIII QUORUM
A quorum is one person more than one-half of the appointed members.
Section XI COMMITTEES
a. Committees shall be created as needed to do work of the Board. Standing Committees will meet on a regular basis and to deelop and implement their work plans which shall reflect current board goals and priorities.
Each member of the Mental Health Board will sere on at least one committee, task force, and/or sere as a liaison to another entity or organization.
b. The existing standing committee is the Executie Committee which plans the Board agenda and can act on behalf of the full board under unusual circumstances. The Executie Committee is composed of the Chair, ice-Chair and Chairs of all other committees or their Mental Health Board designee. Any board member may attend the Executie Committee meetings. Other standing committees shall be approed by the Board to conduct its business in accordance to it’s legal responsibilities and corresponding to the current membership of the Board. Each standing Committee shall be chaired by a Mental Health Board member.
c. Ad Hoc Committees shall be set up to reflect the interest and responsibilities of the board.
d. Current liaison responsibilities shall be set up to reflect the interest and responsibilities of the Mental Health Board.
e. The Chair of the Mental Health Board shall appoint the chair of each committee. Board members may choose upon which committee they wish to sere, or may be appointed to a committee or liaison role by the board chair.
f. Committees shall deelop annual work plans which will be reiewed by the full board. Any action recommended by a committee shall be acted on by the full board.
Section X REMOAL FROM THE BOARD
a. Absence at three consecutie board and/or committee meetings, without just cause and adance notice of such cause prior to the meeting to be missed, shall be grounds to ask the goerning board of member’s remoal.
b. Section 5-19.06 of the Alameda County Administratie Code states: “In cases of misconduct, inability of willful neglect in the performance of his duties, any member may be remoed by the affirmatie ote of four members of the Alameda County Board of Superisors. Such member sought to be remoed shall be gien an opportunity to be heard in his own defense at a public hearing, and shall hae the right to appear by counsel and to hae process issues to compel the attendance of witnesses , who shall be required to gie testimony, if such member of the Board so requests. A full and complete statement of the reasons for such remoal, if such member be remoed, together with the findings of fact made by the Alameda County Board of Superisors, with the County Clerk and made a matter of public record.”
Section XI CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Appointments will be subject to State and Federal conflict of interest laws.
Section XII RULES OF ORDER
Meetings of this organization shall be goerned by the authority of the Brown Act and Roberts Rules of Order modified to allow open participation of the Chair, who may also set discussion time limits as appropriate.
Section XIII EXPENSES
The Board of Superisors may pay from any aailable funds the actual and necessary expenses of the members of the mental health board of a community mental health serice incurred incident to the performance of their official duties and functions. The expenses of board members may include trael, lodging, child care, and meals for themseles while on official business as approed by the Mental Health Director and the Mental Health Board. A yearly finance report shall be presented to the Mental Health Board so that expenses can be reiewed.
ARTICLE II
SECTION I AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of this organization by a two-thirds ote of the appointed membership of the Alameda County Mental Health Board. These bylaws shall be reiewed periodically to insure compliance with State Law.
SECTION II EFFECTIE DATE
These bylaws shall go into effect and become effectie immediately upon their adoption, and shall be submitted to the Board of Superisors for their approal and final adoption.
These articles were ratified by the Mental Health Board on February 21, 1996. They were then reiewed by County Counsel and the proposed reisions adopted on October 16th, 1996. The final draft was reiewed and endorsed by the Mental Health Board on Noember 19, 1997, and submitted for ratification by the Health Committee of the County Board of Superisors. They were ratified by the Alameda County Board of Superisors on __________, 1997.
Signed:
____________________________________________________
Myrla Raymundo, Chair, Alameda County Mental
Health Board
_____________________________________________________________
Alane Friedrich, Chair Emertis, Alameda County
Mental Health Board
_____________________________________________________________
Keith Carson, Chair, Alameda County Board of
Superisors
Revision of 8/20002 included
Copyright © 2008
Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services
2000 Embarcadero Cove, Suite 400, Oakland, CA 94606