Board members can be community members, people receiving board services, and family members of people receiving services. The following rules govern who may serve as a county board member:
– Board members must be residents of the county the appointing authority serves, citizens of the United States, and interested and knowledgeable in the field of intellectual disabilities and other allied fields.
– If the appointing authority is a board of county commissioners, at least two of the board members must be people who are eligible for services provided by the county board of DD or immediate family members of such people. Whenever possible, the county commissioners shall ensure that one of those two members is a person eligible for adult services (or an immediate family member of such a person) and the other is an immediate family member of a person eligible for early intervention, pre-school, or school age services.
– If the appointing authority is a senior probate judge, the judge shall appoint at least one person who is an immediate family member of an person eligible for residential services or supported living.
– Board members should have professional training and experience in business management, finance, law, health care practice, personnel administration, or government service.
– Board membership should reflect the composition of the county that the board of DD serves.
Section 5126.023 of the ORC identifies categories of people who may not serve on a county boards of DD. They include:
– An elected public official, except for a township trustee, township fiscal officer, or individual excluded from the definition of public official or employee in division (B) of section 102.01 of the ORC.
– An immediate family member of a member of the same county board.
– An employee of any county board.
– An immediate family member of an employee of the same county board.
– A former employee of a county board whose employment ceased less than four calendar years before the former employee would begin to serve as a member of the same county board.
– A former employee of a county board whose employment ceased less than two years before the former employee would begin to serve as a member of a different county board.
– Unless there is no conflict of interest, a person who or whose immediate family member is a board member of an agency licensed or certified by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to provide services to people with developmental disabilities or a person who or whose immediate family member is an employee of such an agency.
– A person with an immediate family member who serves as a county commissioner of a county served by the county board unless the individual was a member of the county board before October 31, 1980.
Board members must sign a declaration of eligibility before joining the board.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION POLICYThe president of the board or a majority of the members may extend to visitors the privilege of addressing the board and the order of business at any regular meeting shall include an opportunity for members of the public to address the board, provided, however, that the board does not obligate itself to consider any request or proposal unless submitted to the president, in writing, at least seven (7) days before the meeting, exclusive of Sundays and holidays.
The board endorses the principle of open communication between the superintendent and his staff and free communication of all personnel with the program's organization through recognized channels of communication.
Any individual or group may address the board concerning any subject that lies within the board's jurisdiction. Questions are to be directed to the board as a whole and may not be put to any individual member of the board or the administrative staff. Any matter upon which the board may be requested to act must be submitted in writing to the board not less than seven (7) days excluding Sunday and holidays, prior to the date of the meeting at which the subject is to be discussed.
It shall be in order for members of the board to interrupt a speaker at any time to ask questions or make comments in order to clarify the discussion.
Not more than fifteen (15) minutes shall be allotted to each individual speaker and/or group presenting on the same topic or subject under discussion.
No person shall present orally at any meeting of the board, a complaint against an individual employee of the board. Such charge or complaint shall be presented to the Superintendent, in writing and signed by the person(s) making the charge or complaint for resolution. A charge or complaint concerning the Superintendent shall be presented to the board in writing and shall be signed by the person(s) making the charge.