Board of Social Services

Created

Maryland Code Article 88-A, Section 14 and Montgomery County Code Sec. 37-8. 

Membership

The County Executive must appoint a Board of Social Services, subject to confirmation by the County Council. The Board has 13 voting members. One member must be a member of the County Council. Members must not be paid for their service, but may be reimbursed for expenses subject to appropriations. The Board must also elect a chair annually in June. The Board may elect other officers annually as it finds appropriate. The Board may also establish subcommittees that may include persons who are not members of the Board. The chair of each subcommittee must be a member of the Board. If a board member is absent from at least 50 percent of Board meetings in a 12-month period, then the board member may be removed from the board in accordance with the provisions in 2-148(c). The Board may also establish bylaws to govern its activities. 

Duties

• meet and consult with the Executive, or the Executive's designee, about the appointment of the local Director of Social Services before the appointment;
• advise the local Director of Social Services and the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services about the local application of State policies and procedures;
• be well informed on social services activities;
• provide information to County residents about the objectives, policies, programs, and problems of social services and public assistance administration in the County;
• review the periodic evaluation of the administration of State social services and public assistance programs within the Department of Health and Human Services by the State, and consult with the local Director of Social Services and the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services about implementing recommendations from the State and any other recommendations based on the Board's evaluation;
• review the annual report of the local Director of Social Services and transmit it with any changes in policies or procedures recommended by the Board to the Secretary of Human Resources, the Executive, and the Council;
• review and make recommendations about the annual County budget for social services and public assistance;
• consult with the local Director of Social Services about any new service that could be implemented to meet an unmet need in the County, including whether the County is able to take on the new service, and whether it conforms to the State plan; and present the local Director of Social Services and Board's recommendations for new services to the State;
• take steps to obtain County funding to meet needs not financed by or available through any other federal, State, or local plan, project, or program, and which are not in conflict with the State plan;
• meet with the Secretary of Human Resources periodically, or at the Board's request;
• establish and maintain effective liaison with the Executive and Council;
• serve as an advocate, in conjunction with the State Department of Human Resources, for social services programs on the local, State, and federal level;
• work to identify private, State, and federal grant sources for social services programs;
• develop and implement, in conjunction with the State Department of Human Resources, an educational and public relations program for the public and elected officials on the local, State, and federal level;
• evaluate the local Director of Social Services, in conjunction with the State Department of Human Resources and County Executive and make recommendations about the local Director of Social Services to the Secretary of Human Resources;
• meet and consult with the Executive, or the Executive's designee, about the removal of the local Director of Social Services before any removal; and
• submit an annual report of the Board's activities to the Executive and Council by July 1 each year. (1993 L.M.C., ch. 5, § 1; 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 26, § 1.)