Article III– MEMBERSHIP
1. Board Membership
The Board of Health shall be composed of a total of 15 members, with 3 members geographically from each of the 5 Snohomish County Council Districts.
(a) One Snohomish County Council member shall represent each of the 5 County Council Districts.
(b) The largest city within each of the 5 County Council Districts, as determined by the most recent official population numbers from the State of Washington, shall select one Board of Health representative from the city’s council.
(c) The cities and towns within each of the 5 County Council Districts, other than the largest city, shall collectively select one Board of Health representative from among their elected mayors and Council members. Selection of the representative shall be in accordance with subsection (III)(3)(b) of this section.
2. When any city has residents within more than one County Council District, that city shall be considered to belong to the Council District wherein the majority of the city’s population resides.
3. Selection Procedure for City/Town Representatives/Certification
(a) The largest city within each County Council District shall appoint a Board of Health representative in accordance with each city’s procedure for making such appointments. The representative appointed shall be certified annually by the mayor or city manager as properly appointed in a letter to the Health District.
(b) Cities and towns other than the largest within each County Council District jointly shall annually select a single representative by a majority vote of all cities and towns, but excluding the largest city within the County Council District. If eligible, the Board position shall continue to be held by the incumbent until the appointment and certification for the ensuing year. In the event of a tie vote, the Chair of the Board of Health shall cast the deciding vote by coin toss at a meeting that is open to the public. This representative shall be jointly certified annually by the mayors or city managers as properly appointed in a letter to the Health District. Provided, however, in County Council Districts where there is more than one small city or town, no representative of a city or town shall serve more than two consecutive years unless, where applicable, a majority plus one of the cities and towns eligible to vote (a super majority) agree to such additional year or years of service. Where a super majority is not applicable because of the number of small cities and towns in a County Council District, a unanimous vote shall be required to authorize more than two consecutive years. The filling of a vacancy for a partial term of office shall be counted as one year of the two consecutive years maximum. Once a representative of an eligible city or town has served on the Board of Health, the next selection of a representative shall be from a different city or town within the County Council District until all cities and towns have had an opportunity to serve. Once all cities and towns within the Council District have had an opportunity for a representative of their city or town to serve, the order of selection from all cities and towns shall be repeated in the same order. If a city or town declines to offer an elected mayor or councilmember to serve on the Board of Health, a representative from another city or town shall be considered. No city or town shall have a representative appointed for subsequent terms to the Board of Health until all cities and towns within a County Council District have had an opportunity for a representative to serve.
(c) Certification of representatives must occur before representatives can assume their seat on the Board of Health.
4. Terms of Office
(a) The term of office for Snohomish County Council members shall be that of each member’s term of office on the County Council.
(b) No specific term of office shall be established for representatives of the largest city within a County Council district. The term of office for the smaller cities and towns in each County Council District shall be as set forth in subsection (III)(3)(b) of this section. Such representatives to the Board of Health shall serve pursuant to appointments made by their respective cities and towns, and annual certification by the respective mayor(s) or city manager(s).
(c) Membership on the Board of Health of an individual shall continue until the date on which the successor to the seat has been appointed or has assumed elected office and, in the case of representatives from cities and towns, certification as described in subsection (III)(3) of this section has been received by the Health District; PROVIDED, that should a member no longer hold the public office which qualifies such person for membership, or should a member resign from the Board of Health, membership ceases with the effective date of leaving office or resignation. In such cases, a representative from the same city or town from which the position on the Board of Health was vacated shall be appointed by that city or town to fill the remainder of the term on the Board of Health. If no representative from the same city or town offers to serve, the cities and towns shall by majority vote select a representative from another city or town. The filling of a vacancy for a partial term of office shall be counted as one year of the two consecutive years maximum.
(d) Execution of an Oath of Office is required of each member of the Board of Health at the beginning of the term of office.