The Health District was integrated into the County on January 1, 2023. In preparation for this integration, Council adopted ordinance 22-061, creating the Health Department in Snohomish County Code. Due to the expedited timeline of the original ordinance tied to the integration and transition date, some clean up language and changes are requested.
Ordinance 23-015 makes changes to the board of health composition, terms, rephrases their duties so they are easier to read than the RCW language initially included, and repeals the Public Health Advisory Board. Specifically, this ordinance would:
· Make changes to the composition of the board of health by:
o The Board chair shall be one of the county councilmembers.
o Requires that up to three nominees for each seat be forwarded to the Executive for consideration.
o Clarifies that reappointments, as recommended by the Board and Executive, are allowed. New members must follow the same process as initial appointments.
· Makes changes to the terms for the board of health by:
o Amends term lengths to 4 years with a limit of 3 term.
o Adds language that the board may recommend reappointment of board members.
· Makes changes to their meetings by:
o Changing when the meetings take place from a specific day and time stipulated in code, to requiring there be one meeting a month at a day and time agreed upon by the board.
o Requires action of the board to have a quorum that includes two elected members.
o Removes the language that allows members to participate in person or remote and replaces it with a requirement for the board to adopt their own rules and procedures.
o Allows the Chair to create committees as necessary to conduct business.
o Requires the Board to adopt administrative rules and procedures.
· Relating to compensation, it removes language that expenses reimbursed must be directly related to the members service and changes the approver of reimbursement requests from the Executive to the Department Director.
· Rewords the duties of the board of health so the section cites that the board has the duties as authorized in RCW 70.05.060.
· Requires the Board to enact rules and regulations referred to the Snohomish County Board of Health Code.
· Repeals the Public Health Advisory Board