For a county that creates a new consolidated human services agency, how is the initial governing board established (if the county commissioners choose to have an appointed governing board)?
- If a BOCC does not want to serve as the governing board of the CHSA, it will need to appoint a new CHS board. G.S. 153A-77(c) includes many details about CHS board composition, term limits, powers, and duties. It also includes a specific process for appointing the initial board. The BOCC must first create a nominating committee that includes members of the current (pre-consolidation) board of health and board of social services, as well as the board responsible for managing mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services in the county. The nominating committee then recommends members for the new CHS board and the BOCC makes appointments based upon those recommendations. After the initial board is in place, the BOCC will fill vacancies based upon nominees presented by the members of the CHS board.
- The initial CHS board could, in theory, consist (at least in part) of the existing board of health and social services board members, provided that they otherwise meet the membership qualifications of G.S. 153A-77(c). That could help to provide some continuity in board operations between the pre-consolidation boards and the post-consolidation board. However, in some situations, retaining the existing, pre-consolidation board members may not serve the county’s goals in creating the CHSA and the CHS board.
Faculty Coordinator
Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Term Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government