Local Law no. 7 REVISED 2014 SALARY OF A CERTAIN APPOINTED OFFICER SERVING FOR A FIXED TERM: COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH

County of Putnam County
Local Law #7 of 2014
(Passed at June 3, 2014 Regular Meeting)
A Local Law to Amend Article 10 of the Putnam County Charter entitled “Human
Resources Services” to add two (2) new sections entitled “Deputy Commissioner of
Social Services” and “Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health.”
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE COUNTY OF PUTNAM, as follows:
Section 1. Article 10 of the Putnam County Charter is hereby amended to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 10. Human Resources Services
TITLE I
Department of Social Services
§ 10.01. Department of Social Services; Commissioner.
There shall be a Department of Social Services under the direction of a Commissioner of
Social Services who shall be appointed by the County Executive, subject to confirmation
by the County Legislature. The Commissioner of Social Services shall be appointed on
the basis of his or her administrative experience and qualifications for the duties of the
office for the term provided by law. The Commissioner shall have the power, within
budgetary appropriations, to appoint such staff of his or her department as may be
necessary to implement the duties of this office as set forth herein.
§ 10.02. Commissioner of Social Services; powers and duties.
The Commissioner of Social Services shall perform the duties prescribed by law and
such additional and related duties as are required by the County Executive.
§ 10.03 Deputy Commissioner of Social Services.
The Commissioner of Social Services shall appoint a Deputy Commissioner of Social
Services who shall act generally for and in place of the Commissioner of Social Services
in the event of his or her absence from the County or inability to perform and exercise
the powers and duties of office. The Deputy Commissioner of Social Services shall
perform all of the duties of the Commissioner of Social Services only in the event that the
Commissioner of Social Services is absent or unable to perform and exercise the powers
and duties of such office.
TITLE II
Department of Health
§ 10.04. Department of Health; Commissioner/Public Health Director.
(a) There shall be a Department of Health under the direction of a Commissioner of
Health or a Public Health Director who shall be appointed by the County Executive,
subject to confirmation by the County Legislature. If the appointment is that of
Commissioner, at the time of his or her appointment and throughout his or her term
of office the Commissioner shall be and remain duly licensed and entitled to practice
medicine in the State of New York, and shall have such other qualifications as may be
required by law. In the alternative, if the appointment is that of Public Health Director,
such person shall possess a master’s degree in public health or a related field and
three years of public health administration experience, or an appropriate combination
of education and experience deemed equivalent by the State Commissioner of Health.
(b) All appointments to the position of Public Health Director and the appointment and
arrangements for the medical consultant are subject to the approval of the State
Commissioner of Health.
(c) Either the Commissioner or the Director shall be directly responsible to and serve at
the pleasure of the County Executive, unless otherwise provided by law.
(d) The Commissioner/Public Health Director shall serve on a full-time basis and shall
not be employed nor engage in any private practice in their field of expertise.
(e) All full-time managerial employees in the department who are professionally licensed
shall not engage in any private practice, nor be employed in their field of expertise
with the County, by any private or governmental entity. [Amended 9-6-2011 by L.L.
No. 18-2011]
§ 10.05. Powers and duties.
Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the Commissioner of Health or the Director
shall have all the powers and perform all the duties conferred or imposed upon a County
Health Commissioner and upon county boards of health by the Public Health Law or any
other law. He or she shall perform such other and related duties as are required by the
County Executive or the County Legislature.
§ 10.06. Deputy Health Commissioner.
In the event that the office of Commissioner of Health is vacant, a Deputy Commissioner
of Health shall be appointed by the County Executive subject to confirmation by the
County Legislature. A Deputy Commissioner of Health who has been appointed by the
County Executive shall perform all the duties of a Commissioner of Health, may serve on
a part-time basis, shall be and remain duly licensed to practice medicine in the State of
New York, and shall have such other qualifications as may be required by law.
§ 10.07. Board of Health.
There shall be in the Department of Health a Board of Health consisting of seven (7)
members who shall be appointed by the County Legislature in the manner and for the
term provided in the Public Health law. It shall be mandatory, however, that at least one
member of the Board of Health shall be appointed primarily on the basis of known
experience and interest in environmental matters. The Board of Health, subject to the
provisions of the Public Health Law and the State Sanitary Code, shall have the power to
formulate, adopt, promulgate, amend or repeal such rules and regulations as may affect
public health within the County; to formulate, adopt, promulgate, amend or repeal a
County Sanitary Code; to consider any matter that may come to its attention relating to
the preservation and improvement of public health within the County, and to advise the
Commissioner or the Administrator thereon either on request or upon its initiative, and
from time to time make recommendations to the Commissioner or Administrator thereon.
TITLE III
Department of Mental Health
§ 10.08. Department of Mental Health; Commissioner.
There shall be a Department of Mental Health under the supervision of a Commissioner
of Mental Health who shall be appointed by the County Executive upon the
recommendation of the Community Services Board and subject to confirmation by the
County Legislature. The Commissioner of Mental Health shall meet the qualifications
prescribed by the Mental Hygiene Law and the State Commissioner of Mental Hygiene.
He or she shall be directly responsible to and serve at the pleasure of the County
Executive.
§ 10.09. Powers and duties.
Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the Commissioner of Mental Health shall
have all the powers and perform all the duties now or hereafter conferred or imposed by
law upon a Commissioner of community mental health services and shall perform such
other and related duties required by the Administrative Code, local law, the County
Executive or the Community Services Board.
§ 10.10. Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health.
The Commissioner of Mental Health shall appoint a Deputy Commissioner of Mental
Health who shall act generally for and in the place of the Commissioner of Mental Health
in the event of his or her absence from the County or inability to perform and exercise
the powers and duties of office. The Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health shall have
the powers and shall perform all of the duties of the Commissioner of Mental Health only
in the event that the Commissioner of Mental Health is absent or unable to perform and
exercise the powers and duties of such office.
§ 10.11. Community Services Board.
Within the Department of Mental Health there shall be a Community Services Board
consisting of nine (9) members who shall be appointed by the County Legislature in the
manner and for the term provided in the Mental Health Law. It shall be mandatory,
however, that the County Executive or his or her designee be one of the members. The
Board shall have all the powers and perform all the duties now or hereafter conferred or
imposed by law upon a community mental health board except that it shall not have the
power to appoint or remove the Commissioner of Mental Health, to fix his or her
compensation and expenses, to exercise supervisory authority over the Commissioner
of Mental Health and to audit and approve claims over the Commissioner of Mental
Health and to audit and approve claims of the Department of Mental Health.
Section 2.
This local law shall take effect forty-five (45) days after its adoption and is subject to
permissive referendum.