Yolo County Municipal Code Art. 13 Mental Health Board

* Sections 2-2.1301 through 2-2.1307, codified from Ordinance No. 517, amended in their entirety by Section 1, Ordinance No. 831, effective March 8, 1979. Sections 2-2.1301 through 2-2.1309, codified from Ordinance No. 831, amended in their entirety by Ordinance No. 1159, effective May 20, 1993.

There is created the Yolo County Behavioral Health Board. Prior to May 8, 2025, the Behavioral Health Board was known as the Mental Health Board and had substantially the same duties and responsibilities. (§ 2, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

The Behavioral Health Board shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

(a) Review and evaluate the community’s mental health and substance use disorder needs, services, facilities, and special problems;

(b) Review any county agreements entered into pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5650;

(c) Advise the governing body and the local behavioral health director as to any aspect of the local behavioral health program;

(d) Review and approve the procedures used to ensure citizen and professional involvement at all stages of the planning process;

(e) Submit an annual report to the governing body on the needs and performance of the county’s behavioral health system;

(f) Review and make recommendations on applicants for the appointment of a local director of behavioral health services. The board shall be included in the selection process prior to the vote of the governing body;

(g) Review and comment on the county’s performance outcome data and communicate its findings to the County Health and Human Services Agency, the Board of Supervisors, and the State Behavioral Health Commission. (§ 3, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

The Behavioral Health Board shall consist of sixteen (16) members appointed by the Board of Supervisors as follows:

(a) Permanent member. There shall be one permanent member of the board, who shall be a member of the Board of Supervisors.

(b) Rotating members. There shall be fifteen (15) rotating members appointed as follows:

(1) At least fifty (50%) percent of the members shall be consumers or the parents, spouse sibling, or adult children of consumers, who are receiving or have received behavioral health services;

(2) At least twenty (20%) percent of the total membership shall be consumers and at least twenty (20%) percent of the total membership shall be families of consumers.

(c) The Board of Supervisors shall, through its appointments to the Behavioral Health Board, strive to reflect the ethnic diversity of the client population of the County.

(d) Veteran or veteran advocate member. At least one member of the board shall be a veteran or veteran advocate, as defined in Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5604(i). To ensure compliance with this subsection, the Board of Supervisors shall notify the Yolo County Veterans Services Office about vacancies on the board as they occur.

(e) The Board of Supervisors is encouraged to appoint individuals who have experience and knowledge of the behavioral health system. (§ 4, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1566, eff. March 28, 2024, and § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

The initial terms of the fifteen (15) rotating members of the Behavioral Health Board shall be as follows:

(a) Five (5) members shall be appointed for a three (3) year term.

(b) Five (5) members shall be appointed for a two (2) year term.

(c) Five (5) members shall be appointed for a one-year term.

(d) Thereafter, as vacancies occur, subsequent appointments shall be made for three (3) year terms.

(e) Membership shall be effective upon appointment by the Board of Supervisors. However, all terms shall be deemed to have commenced on February 1 following the initial appointment, and thereafter all terms shall be aligned to begin on February 1 and end on January 31.

(f) There shall be an equal number of appointees by each member of the Board of Supervisors.

(g) No member of the Behavioral Health Board or his or her spouse shall be a full-time or part-time county employee of a County behavioral health service, an employee of the State Department of Behavioral Health, or an employee of, or a paid member of the governing body of, a Bronzan-McCorquodale contract agency.

(h) A member of the Behavioral Health Board shall abstain from voting on any issue in which the member has a financial interest as defined in Section 87103 of the California Government Code.

(i) If, prior to the expiration of a term, a member ceases to retain the status which qualified the member for appointment to the Behavioral Health Board, the membership of the member shall be terminated, and a vacancy shall be declared.

(j) If it is not possible to secure membership as specified from among persons who reside in the County, the Board of Supervisors may substitute representatives of the public interest in behavioral health who are not full-time or part-time employees of the County behavioral health service, the State Department of Behavioral Health, or on the staff of, or a paid member of the governing body of, a Bronzan-McCorquodale contract agency. (§ 5, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

A quorum for meetings of the Behavioral Health Board shall consist of not less than one-half (1/2) of the currently appointed members. A majority vote of the members present shall be required for any motion, resolution, or other action. (§ 6, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

The term of office of a rotating member who has three (3) consecutive unexcused absences from meetings of the Behavioral Health Board may be terminated by the Board of Supervisors after notification to the member and the Behavioral Health Board. The vacancy thereby created shall be filled by the appointment of another representative of the same group for the remainder of the unexpired term of the member being replaced. A person so appointed may then serve a maximum of two (2) additional terms following the completion of the unexpired term. (§ 7, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

The officers shall be a chairperson and a vice-chairperson who shall be Behavioral Health Board members and who shall serve on a yearly basis and be subject to election in May of each year. A secretary may be elected, unless secretarial staff is otherwise provided. (§ 8, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

Members of the Behavioral Health Board shall receive reimbursements for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties outside the boundaries of the County. A member shall obtain written approval from the Behavioral Health Director prior to attending any event outside the boundaries of the County for which the member wishes to be reimbursed. Odometer readings and receipts will be required for reimbursement in accordance with the rules established by the County Auditor-Controller.

Reimbursements shall be budgeted and charged against County Behavioral Health funds and shall be subject to the budget limitations and restrictions placed on such funds. (§ 9, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993, as amended by § 2, Ord. 1573, eff. May 8, 2025)

The Mental Health Board may appoint such subcommittees as it deems appropriate and necessary for the fulfillment of its duties and responsibilities. (§ 10, Ord. 1159, eff. May 20, 1993)