A. Creation. A Board of Health is hereby created in the City of Reading, Pennsylvania, to consist of five members and two alternates.
B. Appointment. The members of the said Board shall serve without compensation and shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Council. No member of City Council shall be appointed as a member of the Board of Health.
C. Residency. All members of the Board of Health shall be residents of the City. If a qualified Board of Health cannot be established as set forth herein with residents of the City, alternatively, members may be selected from persons with a significant business interest in the City.
D. Membership. The Board of Health shall be comprised of at least one representative of each of the following:
(1) A person certified by the state or appropriately licensed in the area of environmental health.
(2) A person state certified or appropriately licensed in the study of infectious diseases.
(3) A person state certified or appropriately licensed as a public health practitioner.
(4) A person certified and licensed to practice by the State Board of Medicine, the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, the State Board of Pharmacy, or the State Board of Nursing to be engaged in a medical, medically related or health care profession or business.
(5) A representative of the citizens of the City of Reading.
E. One alternate shall be selected from any of the aforementioned professional fields with preference given to an individual representing a licensed profession not already represented on the Board.
F. The second alternate shall be a resident of the City who does not need to possess any of the qualifications stated above.
G. The inclusion of a state certified physician, veterinary, pharmacist and nurse specifically enumerated in Subsection D above does not preclude such from qualified under Subsection D(1) through (3) above if they are certified and/or licensed in the areas specified therein. If a licensed or certified professional from one of the above-named areas cannot be identified to serve on the Board, the Mayor, with the approval of City Council, may appoint any individual who has experience or is knowledgeable of public health issues relating to the field for which they are being selected to represent. Alternatively, if all fields are unable to be represented and more than one individual is qualified in one of the aforementioned fields, a second such person may qualify to fill the unfilled position of an unrepresented field.
H. Term. At the first appointment, Council shall designate one of the members to serve for one year, one for two years, one for three years, one for four years and one for five years, from January 1, 2006, and thereafter, one member of said Board shall be appointed annually to serve for the term of five years from January 1 succeeding his appointment.
I. Removal. Any member may be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty or for other just cause by a majority vote of Council taken after the member has received 15 days' advance notice of the intent to take such vote. Failure of a member to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Board will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the Board by City Council. Failure of a member to attend at least 50% of the regular meetings of the Board in a calendar year will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the Board by City Council. The Chairperson of the Board shall inform the City Clerk in writing when a member has failed to comply with this attendance policy. Following such notification, City Council may vote to remove the member and seek applicants to fill the vacant position. [Amended 8-23-2010 by Ord. No. 58-2010]
J. Oath. Each member of the Board of Health shall take an oath of office.