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8.
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| INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE |
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| Information |
| Referral History: |
On February 12, 2018, Internal Operations approved the Phase I Triennial Report, which included a review of the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Advisory Board.
In this report, the AOD Advisory Board (AB) indicated that they had experienced difficulty filling vacant seats and attaining quorum. As of January 19, 2018, 9 of the 18 seats were vacant. Additionally, 7 meetings were canceled during 36-month Triennial Review period specifically due to lack of a quorum. During the review period, the AODAB was undergoing a bylaw update to change their subcommittee composition and to clarify quorum requirements, as directed by the 2015 Triennial Review, but was unable to address their membership structure.
Since the completion of the Triennial Review, the AODAB filled many of their vacant seats. As of August 23, 2018, 5 seats are vacant. However, even with additional seats filled, many members do not attend the meetings. Currently, AODAB finds it difficult to achieve quorum and is, therefore, unable to meet to determine the best seat structure. As a result, the Internal Operations Committee will need to determine the most suitable new membership structure in order to allow AODAB to attain a quorum and meet again.
Current Structure
The current structure of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board includes eighteen (18) authorized voting seats. In order to attain a quorum, the AODAB must have a minimum of ten (10) members present at meetings, which can be difficult with weekday meetings. Additionally, fifteen (15) of the AODAB seats represent supervisorial districts. In the current structure, each District Supervisor must find three individuals who are willing and able to serve on the AODAB, which constrains the ability of the AODAB to fill some of the seats. Only three (3) of the 18 seats are At-Large appointees. Adding further challenge to attaining quorum, there are no authorized Alternate seats that would allow another appointee to vote in lieu of an absent member.
Current Appointees
As of September 18, 2018, there are 13 appointees out of 18 authorized, voting seats. The current AODAB bylaws allow for members with four (4) or more unexcused absences to be removed from their position of the Board. Based on the attendance records provided by the AODAB, one member has four unexcused absences in 2018, which means that there are currently only 12 members in good standing.
The AODAB’s 2017 and 2018 attendance records are attached.
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| Referral Update: |
Staff recommends that the Internal Operations Committee take the following actions:
- Determine a new seat structure, including number of District appointees, At-Large appointees, and any authorized Alternate seats.
- Direct either Clerk of the Board or FHS to reassign existing AODAB appointees to the new seats, following approval of the bylaws by the Board of Supervisors.
Several options for changing the AODAB membership composition are outlined in the table below. The following options reduce the overall number of authorized voting seats, and reduce the number of district appointees. The two options each provide a variant that provides for alternates, resulting in four possible configurations. The options below are provided for discussion purposes, and can be adopted in their current form, or modified.
| Option Name |
District Supervisor Appointee Seats |
At-Large Seats (appointed through FHS) |
Alternates |
Total Authorized Seats (alternate and voting) |
Authorized Voting Seats |
Number needed to Attain Quorum |
| Current |
15
(3 per district) |
3 |
0 |
18 |
18 |
10 |
| A |
10
(2 per district) |
3 |
0 |
13 |
13 |
7 |
| A + Alternates |
10
(2 per district) |
3 |
3 |
16 |
13 |
7 |
| B |
5
(1 per district) |
6 |
0 |
11 |
11 |
6 |
| B + Alternates |
5
(1 per district) |
6 |
3 |
14 |
11 |
6 |
Implementation of New Membership Structure
Following adoption of a new seat structure, Clerk of the Board will shepherd the new bylaw updates to the Board of Supervisors for approval, following review by County Counsel. In order to fully implement the recommended seat structure, Clerk of the Board recommends reassigning the twelve (12) existing, active members to the newly designated seats concurrent to the adoption of the new bylaws. The terms of the seats should match the appointees’ current appointment terms. Typically, Family and Human Services (FHS) Committee selects the At-Large appointees to the AODAB. At the direction of Internal Operations, Clerk of the Board can assist with the one-time assignment of appointees to the newly determined seats to avoid further delays in meetings, or the Committee can delegate the new seat assignments to the FHS once the Board of Supervisors approves their new bylaws and seat structure |
| Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s): |
In order to rectify the quorum issues, Clerk of the Board recommends the following bylaw updates:
- Reduce the quorum requirement by decreasing the number of voting seats;
- Convert up to 10 of the District seats to At Large seats
- Allow for the appointment of At-Large Alternates, who are authorized to vote in the event of member absences.
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