1.01 Board Members. Board member appointment, tenure and removal shall be pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 340.02 (Appendix A).
1.02 Confidentiality. Board members shall maintain confidentiality of information regarding clients served by contract agencies and state psychiatric hospitals in accordance with state law. A statement of confidentiality shall be requested from each Board member (Appendix B).
2.01 Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Board shall be held in the second quarter of the fiscal year, at a time and place within Athens, Hocking or Vinton Counties.
2.02 Regular Meetings. The Board shall meet regularly on the fourth Monday of each month. If a regular meeting date falls on a holiday, then such meeting shall be held on the fourth Tuesday of that month, except that a regular board meeting shall not be held in the month of December. Meetings shall be held at the time and place within Athens, Hocking or Vinton Counties, set forth in the notice of such meeting.
2.03 Special Meetings. Special Board meetings may be called by the Chairperson, by two Board members, or by the Executive Director.
2.04 Notice of Meetings.
A. At least five (5) days before every annual and regular meeting of the Board, the Executive Director shall cause a written notice of the meeting to be sent to each Board member. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting.
B. At least one (1) day before a special meeting of the Board, the Executive Director shall cause written or oral notice to be given to each Board member. The notice shall state the time, place and purpose of the special meeting.
C. The Executive Director shall inform those staff members who normally answer the telephone of the time and place of all regularly scheduled meetings and the time, place and purpose of all special meetings. Such information shall be available to any person who calls or comes to the Board's offices. When a special meeting of the Board is scheduled, then at least twenty-four (24) hours before such meeting the Executive Director shall post in a conspicuous public place and give notice of the time, place and purpose of the special meeting to the news media that have requested notification, except in the event of an emergency requiring immediate official action. In the event of an emergency, the persons calling the meeting shall give immediate notice of the time, place and purpose of the meeting to the news media that have requested notification. Any person, upon request, may obtain reasonable advance notification of all meetings, or of all meetings at which any specific type of business is to be discussed.
2.05 Voting. Each member of the Board present at a duly constituted regular or special meeting shall have one vote on each matter submitted to the members for their vote or action. The majority of the members of the Board present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall determine the Board's action.
2.06 Quorum. A majority of the duly appointed and qualified members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for each annual, regular and special meeting.
3.01 Immediately after the annual election of officers, the Chairperson shall appoint members to the following standing committees:
A. Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for reviewing and making recommendations upon the Board's financial concerns. The Finance Committee shall serve as the Audit Committee in accordance with Article III, Paragraph F, including review of the Board’s monthly financial statements. The Finance Committee shall review and present to the Board for its consideration the annual county budget submitted to the County Budget Commission, the annual resolution for county appropriations, and resolutions for amendments of county appropriations. The committee shall review the annual audits of contract providers and make recommendations necessary to conduct Board fiscal operations.
B. Mental Health Services Committee. The committee shall meet at least three times a year and shall make recommendations to the board on the plan to be submitted to the department of mental health under sections 340.03 and 5119.06 of the revised code; the board's annual budget for mental health services; mental health programs to be funded by the board; and guidelines for the evaluation of mental health programs. The committee shall adopt recommendations by a majority vote of its members and shall present recommendations to the board for consideration at a regularly scheduled meeting of the board.
Two residents from the service district, who are not members of the board but are qualified pursuant to section 340.02 of the revised code to serve as members of the board, shall be appointed by the board to four-year terms of office as mental health services committee members and may be reappointed to not more than one subsequent term of office. One shall be a person who has received or is receiving mental health services, and one shall be a parent or other relative of such a person.
C. Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Committee. Members shall be appointed to this committee in accordance with Ohio Revised Code Section 340.022 (Appendix C). The committee shall meet at least three times a year and shall make recommendations to the Board on the plan to be submitted to the Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services under sections 340.033 and 3793.05 of the Revised Code; the Board's annual budget for alcohol and drug addiction services; alcohol and drug addiction programs to be funded by the Board; and guidelines for the evaluation of alcohol and drug addiction programs. The committee shall adopt recommendations by a majority vote of its members and shall present recommendations to the Board for consideration at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board.
D. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Member-at-Large, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, Chairperson of the Mental Health Services Committee, and Chairperson of the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Committee. The vice- chairs of the finance, mental health services, and alcohol and drug addiction services committees shall serve as ex officio members of the executive committee, and shall exercise the duties of the committee chairperson in their absence. Between meetings of the Board, the Executive Committee shall have and exercise in the absence of specific direction from the Board, any and all powers of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Board. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for making recommendations to the Board regarding all personnel matters, including the employment of the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall be responsible for the employment of all other approved Board staff positions. The Executive Committee shall present the annual budget resolution, which includes fiscal, program, policy and personnel issues, to the Board for its consideration. The Executive Committee shall at all times act under the Board's control, and shall make a report of its acts and transactions to the Board, but the Board may not rescind any good faith action of the Executive Committee which impairs the rights of a third party who acted in good faith on the representations of the Executive Committee.
E. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be the body that nominates the Chairperson-Elect of the Board. At the Board’s May meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present its nominee for Chairperson-Elect for the subsequent fiscal year. At the Board's June meeting, the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, or another member of the committee, shall place in nomination the name of the nominee.
F. Audit Committee. The Finance Committee shall also serve as the Audit Committee. The committee shall be responsible for reviewing the Board’s monthly financial reports; reviewing the annual State Auditor’s report; assuring that audit recommendations are appropriately addressed; and reviewing communications from the auditor regarding the auditor’s professional responsibilities, selection of accounting policies, sensitive accounting estimates, significant audit adjustments, disagreements with management and difficulties encountered during the performance of the audit.
3.02 Special Committees. The Chairperson of the Board may appoint special committees to carry out specific functions. Such committees shall cease after their special functions have been performed and reported to the Board.
3.03 Committee Chairs. As soon as possible after the annual election of officers, the Chairperson shall appoint chairs and vice-chairs of the Finance Committee, Mental Health Services Committee, and the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Committee. the vice- chairs shall chair their respective committees in the absence of the committee chair.
3.04 Quorum. Those members of a committee present at a committee meeting shall constitute a quorum, and the act of a majority of the members at the meeting at which a quorum is present shall constitute the act of such committee.
4.01 General. The officers of the Board shall consist of a Chairperson, a Chairperson-Elect, and a Member-at-Large.
4.02 Tenure and Election. On June 30th of each fiscal year, the sitting Chairperson shall move to the office of Member-at-Large, and the current Chairperson-Elect shall move to the office of Chairperson. The Chairperson-Elect for the subsequent fiscal year shall be elected by the Board from its membership at the June meeting. Each officer shall serve a term of one year and, at the discretion of the Board, may serve one additional consecutive term.
4.03 Removal. Any officer may be removed, for cause, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the members at any meeting of the Board. Before a special meeting is held to remove an officer, such officer shall be informed in writing of any reason or reasons for which his or her removal is being sought.
4.04 Vacancies. Vacancies in any office of the Board may be filled for the unexpired term at any regular or special meeting of the Board.
4.05 Powers and Duties. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Board, shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees, and shall do and perform such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board. The other officers of the Board shall have such power and duties as are, from time to time, conferred by the Board.
5.01 These bylaws may be amended or repealed, and new bylaws may be adopted, at any meeting of the Board at which a quorum is present, provided that notice of the proposed amendment, repeal or adoption is given in writing with the notice of the meeting. The vote to amend or repeal the bylaws, or to adopt new bylaws, shall be by the affirmative vote of two thirds (2/3) of the members of the Board present at the meeting.
6.01 All meetings of the Board shall be conducted under, and governed by, Robert's Rules of Order as amended from time to time.
Amended this 28th day of August, 2006.