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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-252 RESOLUTION NO. 07-252 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF THE SAINT LUCIE COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH JUSTICE ADVISORY AD HOC COMMITTEE AND PROVIDING FOR DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida, has made the following determinations: 1. An act relating to forensic mental health was enrolled during the 2007 Legislature (CS/CS/HB 1477), which will give St. Lucie County the opportunity to enhance and expand initiatives that increase public safety, avert increased spending on criminal justice, and improve the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment services for adults and juveniles who have a mental illness, substance abuse disorder, or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders and who are in, or at risk of entering the criminal or juvenile justice systems. 2. This Board recognizes the importance of providing enhanced mental health services to clients/defendants within St. Lucie County; to improve the mental health, well being and ability of clients to function in the local community; to provide a viable case management system that will improve access to the local community mental health system; to reduce recidivism and the need for secure detention beds in the local jail to house these patients; to insure that clients/defendants are in the least restrictive mental health environment I to reduce the length of incarceration of eligible clients/defendants and improve the monitoring of these individuals in the community. 3. This Board recognizes the importance of creating a St. Lucie County Mental Health Justice Advisory Ad Hoc Committee for the purpose of enhancing communication and cooperation between community mental health providers and criminal justice practitioners and to establish a formal processes of early identification and treatment of these patients/ offenders. 4. This Board should create the Mental Health Justice Advisory Ad Hoc Committee for the purpose of advising the Board of County Commissioners on matters relating to improving the mental health, and well being of clients/defendants to function in the local community. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County I Florida: 1. This Board does hereby create the Mental Health Justice Advisory Ad Hoc Committee. Such committee shall have the following duties and functions: a. To advise and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on matters relating to mental health services to clients/defendants within St. Lucie County. b. To provide any other duties or functions as requested by the Board of County Commissioners on mental health. 2. The action, decisions and recommendations of the committee shall not be final or binding on the Board of County Commissioners but shall be advisory only. 3. The St. Lucie Mental Health Justice Ad Hoc Committee shall consist of twenty (20) members who shall be appointed as follows: a. The state attorney, or an assistant state attorney designated by the state attorney. b. A public defender, or an assistant public defender designated by the public defender. c. A circuit judge designated by the chief judge of the circuit. d. A county court judge designated by the chief judge of the circuit. e. The chief correctional officer. f. The sheriff, if the sheriff is the chief correctional officer, or a person designated by the sheriff. g. The police chief, or a person designated by the local police chiefs association. h. The state probation circuit administrator, or a person designated by the state probation circuit administrator. 1. The local court administrator, or a person designated by the local court administrator. j. The chairperson of the board of county commissioners, or another county commissioner designated by the chairperson, or, if the planning council is a consortium of counties, a county commissioner or designee from each member county. k. The director of any county probation or pretrial intervention program, if the county has such a program. I. The director of a local substance abuse treatment program, or a person designated by the director. m. The director of a community mental health agency, or a person designated by the director. n. A representative of the substance abuse program office and the mental health program office of the Department of Children and Family Services, selected by the substance abuse and mental health program supervisor of the district in which the county is located. o. A primary consumer of mental health services, selected by the substance abuse and mental health program supervisor of the district in which the primary consumer resides. If multiple counties apply together, a primary consumer may be selected to represent each county. p. A primary consumer of substance abuse services, selected by the substance abuse and mental health program supervisor of the district in which the primary consumer resides. If the planning council is a consortium of counties, a primary consumer may be selected to represent each county. q. A family member of a primary consumer of community-based treatment services, selected by the abuse and mental health program supervisor of the district in which the family member resides. r. A representative from an area homeless program or a supportive housing program. s. The director of the detention facility of the Department of Juvenile Justice, or a person designated by the director. t. The chief probation officer of the Department of Juvenile Justice, or a person designated by the chief probation officer. u. Any Board member may nominate one Commissioner to sit on the St. Lucie County Mental Health Justice Advisory Ad Hoc Committee, however the Commissioner who receives the highest number of votes shall prevail as the first member and Chairman of the Committee. 4. Vacancies for all members shall be filled upon: a. Death of a member b. Resignation c. Removal by majority vote of the remaining members of the Committee d. Three (3) unexcused absences in a six (6) month period 5. Vacancies shall be filled by one of the managers working for the individual creating the vacancy. 6. The Committee Chairman shall establish a time and place for holding meetings as shall be necessary, and the Committee shall adopt such rules of organization and procedure as may be required. Eleven (11) committee members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of official business at Committee meetings. 7. The Committee may establish sub-committees for specific subjects or tasks from among its members. The Committee shall hold its first meeting as soon as possible from the date this resolution is adopted. 8. The County Attorney's Office shall provide administrative support for the Committee and shall keep a record of its proceedings. 9. If any action, sentence, or clause of this resolution is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, then said holding shall in no way effect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution. After motion and second the vote on this resolution was as follows: Chairman Chris Craft AYE Vice-Chairman Joseph E. Smith AYE Commissioner Doug Coward AYE Commissioner Paula A. Lewis AYE Commissioner Charles Grande AYE PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 21st day of August, 2007.