City of Watertown, WI Chapter 152 Public Health Department

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Watertown as §§ 2.06(3), 10.01 and 10.02 of the former City Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 152-1 General provisions.

[Amended by Ord. No. 02-47]

A. The Health Officer, his or her agents, the Environmental Health Specialist and the public health nurses shall enforce the laws of the state and City relative to public health and sanitation. The Health Officer, his or her agents, and/or the Environmental Health Specialist shall have the powers and duties provided by state law for a local board of health, health officers and environmental health specialist. The Health Officer shall promulgate such additional rules and regulations as may be necessary for the preservation of health and the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases and shall cause the removal of all objects detrimental to health. The Health Officer shall supervise the various divisions of the Public Health Department, including the Environmental Health Specialist.

B. There shall be a Board of Health, which shall oversee the operation of the Department and interview potential employees of the Department as provided by § 152-4.

§ 152-2 Health Officer appointment and qualifications.

[Amended by Ord. No. 88-2; Ord. No. 94-8; Ord. No. 95-27]

A. Full-time Health Officer. The Public Health Department shall be supervised by a Health Officer, appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Common Council. Such Health Officer shall be vested with the duties provided by Wisconsin Statutes, this Code and the Board of Health. The Health Officer shall provide such additional rules and regulations as shall be necessary for the preservation of health, to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and to cause the removal of objects detrimental to health, and to enforce the health laws as provided in the state statutes and City ordinances.

B. Qualifications of Health Officer. A local health officer shall have:

(1) At least three years of experience in a full-time position with a public health agency, including responsibility for a communicable disease prevention and control program, preferably in a supervisory or other administrative position, and a bachelor's degree from a nursing program accredited by the national professional nursing education accrediting organization or from a nursing program accredited by the Board of Nursing, either of which shall include preparation in public nursing.

[Amended by Ord. No. 98-61; 12-5-2017 by Ord. No. 17-27]

(2) Extensive knowledge of Wisconsin state and federal laws and regulations, state and national practices that relate to the field of public health and home-care programs.

(3) Extensive knowledge of organizational functions of the state and local governments with reference to their implementation on the county and City level.

(4) Extensive knowledge of modern administrative practices and procedures, including budgeting, fiscal management, public administration and personnel management, with ability to execute/facilitate the same. This includes the ability to write requests for monies to fund agency programs and to administer successful proposals.

(5) Extensive knowledge of the epidemiology of communicable and chronic diseases, the practice of public health nursing, public health sciences, and public health programs.

(6) Extensive knowledge of community organization and community resources.

(7) Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

(8) Ability to exercise good judgment in assessment of situations, making decisions, planning and directing work.

(9) Ability to exercise leadership.

(10) Ability to present technical and abstract communications to groups and individuals in oral and written format.

(11) Current certification for CPR.

§ 152-3 Powers and duties of Health Officer.

[Amended by Ord. No. 90-37; Ord. No. 91-56; Ord. No. 91-64; Ord. No. 95-26]

A. The Health Officer shall be responsible for the following duties:

(1) Supervises public health nurses, health aide, secretary, volunteers and Environmental Health Specialist.

(2) Elicits, receives, investigates and transmits reports of communicable diseases and takes appropriate actions or measures to decrease or prevent the transmission of communicable diseases as needed. Cooperates with the State Department of Health Services in investigations and follow-up as appropriate.

(3) Following guidelines from the State Department of Health Services, conducts immunization clinics to prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.

(4) Works closely with the medical community and others in the community to protect the public's health, making recommendations as appropriate and acting as resource person for public health concerns.

(5) Receives health-related complains and acts to reduce or eliminate such complaints within statutory and ordinance guidelines as needed.

(6) Makes recommendations to City department heads for measures to help control or eliminate communicable diseases in their personnel. Acts as resource person for department heads.

(7) Prepares and implements an annual budget for public health programs.

(8) Sanitary survey of locally licensed Class A and B liquor establishments.

(9) Other duties as assigned.

B. The Health Officer shall have the power to abate human health hazards in accordance with Ch. 254, Wis. Stats, which is hereby adopted by reference and incorporated into this Code, and, further, the Health Officer may rely upon analysis, reports or citations issued by the environmental health specialists and public health nurses in taking any action to abate human health hazards.

§ 152-4 Board of Health.

[Amended by Ord. No. 95-27]

A. Pursuant to § 251.03, Wis. Stats., the City of Watertown shall have a Board of Health consisting of six members, two of whom shall be members of the Common Council, one of whom shall be a medical doctor, one of whom shall be a registered nurse and one of whom shall be a citizen of Watertown. The Health Officer shall be the sixth member of the Board of Health.

[Amended by Ord. No. 97-44; Ord. No. 98-61]

B. The Aldermanic members of the Board shall be appointed annually by the Mayor. The remaining members of the Board shall also be appointed by the Mayor and subject to confirmation by the Common Council, and the terms shall be for three years, except upon the initial appointments, which shall be for one, two and three years, respectively.

C. The Board of Health shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) It shall assure that the state and local public health laws are enforced.

(2) It shall recommend or adopt health regulations for the City, subject to review and approval by the Common Council.

(3) It shall report to the State Department of Health Services as required by state statute.

(4) It shall meet at least quarterly.

(5) It shall assess and be an advocate for reasonable and necessary public health needs within the City.

D. The Board of Health shall have no independent financial authority. The Health Officer shall prepare an annual budget, which shall be reviewed by the Board of Health and then submitted to the Mayor. No independent applications shall be made for grants or contracts without Finance Committee approval. The Mayor shall be responsible for evaluation and discipline of the Health Officer.

E. The Board of Health shall conduct interviews for the Health Officer and shall submit the names of three qualified applicants to the Mayor. Other vacancies within the Public Health Department shall be filled by having the Health Officer and the Board of Health interview applicants and then make three recommendations to the Council's Finance Committee, which shall make the final selection.