Georgia § 37-2-3 - Designation of boundaries for mental health, development disabilities, and addictive diseases regions; community service board areas.

§ 37-2-3. Designation of boundaries for mental health, development disabilities, and addictive diseases regions; community service board areas.

The board shall designate boundaries for mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases regions and may modify the boundaries of such regions from time to time as deemed necessary by the board. The department, with the approval of the commissioner, shall designate community service board areas, which shall serve as boundaries for the establishment of community service boards within this state for the purpose of delivering disability services. The department shall be authorized to initiate the redesignation of such community service board area boundaries and may consider requests from a county or group of counties or a community service board or a group of community service boards for recommended changes to the boundaries of the community service board areas. The department, with the approval of the commissioner, is authorized to redesignate two or more community service board areas as a single community service board area. Two or more community service boards may request that the department, with the approval of the commissioner, merge the community service board areas served by such boards into a single community service board area. If the department, with the approval of the commissioner, authorizes the redesignation or merging of community services board areas pursuant to this paragraph, the assets, equipment, and resources of such community service boards shall become the assets, equipment, and resources of the reconstituted community service board serving the successor single board area. It is the intent of the General Assembly not to limit a community service board to serving only those counties within the boundaries of its community service board area. To the extent practicable, the boundaries for regional planning boards and offices and community service areas shall not subdivide any county unit. In dividing the state into areas, the board and the department shall take into consideration such factors as geographic boundaries, roads and other means of transportation, population concentrations, city and county lines, other relevant community services, and community economic and social relationships. Consideration shall also be given to the existence of facilities and personnel available in the areas for the delivery of disability services. (Code 1933, § 88-604, enacted by Ga. L. 1976, p. 953, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1213, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 16; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1324, § 1-7; Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 4/HB 1223; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 3-1/HB 228; Ga. L. 2011, p. 705, § 6-3/HB 214; Ga. L. 2014, p. 309, § 3/SB 349.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 18.1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to repeal any provision of Chapter 5 of Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the 'Community Services Act for the Mentally Retarded.' " Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 19, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "This Act shall become effective on July 1, 1994; provided, however, that provisions relating to the establishment of regional and community service board boundaries and the appointments of regional boards and community service boards shall become effective on July 1, 1993, or upon whatever date is stipulated in the Act and provided, further, that the provisions authorizing a county board of health to agree to serve as the lead county board of health for only that county shall become effective upon the approval of this Act by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval." The Act was approved by the Governor on April 27, 1993. Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, which amends this Code section, provides, in § 19.1, not codified by the General Assembly, that the amendment is repealed on June 30, 1999; however, Ga. L. 1998, p. 870, § 1, struck § 19.1 of Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, which would have repealed the 1993 amendment to this Code section. Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 10/HB 1223, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or abate any right accrued or vested prior to July 1, 2006, or any action or proceeding commenced prior to July 1, 2006, under any law amended or repealed by this Act." Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 11/HB 1223, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that those provisions of that Act which authorize community service boards to amend their bylaws and authorize county governing authorities to appoint no sooner than May 1, 2006, any community service board members to take office on July 1, 2006, shall become effective April 21, 2006. Law reviews. - For article on the 2011 amendment of this Code section, see 28 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 147 (2011).