48-5804. Powers and duties

A. The district board of directors shall:

1. Appoint from among its members a chairperson, a secretary and other officers as may be necessary to conduct its business. The county treasurer is designated ex officio as the treasurer of the district.

2. Keep proceedings and records of the board open to the public as required by title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1 and title 39, chapter 1 and maintain a complete and accurate record of all of its proceedings.

B. The district, through its board of directors, may:

1. Adopt and use a corporate seal.

2. Sue and be sued.

3. Enter into contracts, including intergovernmental agreements, to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

4. Employ a public health director for the district who serves at the pleasure of the board and who shall employ professional, administrative and clerical employees as reasonably necessary to carry out the district's purposes.

5. Use revenues paid to the district pursuant to section 48-5805 and other revenues the district may receive for the purpose of providing public health services for the district.

C. On formation of the district, the district board assumes all of the powers and duties of the county board of health for that county including authority to receive and spend state and federal grant monies. The county shall maintain expenditure levels as follows:

1. For any county in which a public health services district is formed pursuant to a vote of the qualified electors, that county shall not reduce expenditures for public health to an amount that is less than fifty per cent of the county's fiscal year general fund public health expenditures as determined by calculating the average of the fiscal year expenditure amounts for the three fiscal years immediately preceding the year of the formation of the district. Costs for financing construction of any building shall not be included in the calculation of expenditures.

2. For any county in which a public health services district is formed pursuant to unanimous vote of the board of supervisors, that county shall not reduce expenditures for public health to an amount that is less than sixty per cent of the county's fiscal year general fund public health expenditures as determined by calculating the average of the fiscal year expenditure amounts for the three fiscal years immediately preceding the year of the formation of the district. Costs for financing construction of any building shall not be included in the calculation of expenditures.

D. A public health services district shall not be deemed responsible for providing services required under title 36, chapter 29.