[Adopted by Bill No. 95-64]
The Harford County Community Mediation Commission
is hereby established for the purpose of providing citizens with an
effective and efficient means to resolve disputes through mediation.
Such mediation program shall be voluntary and shall not preclude any
party from seeking redress through the court system.
Except as provided in Subsections I and O of
this section, members of the Harford County Community Mediation Commission
shall be appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County
Council in accordance with the Charter of Harford County. The Commission
shall consist of the following members:
A.
The state's attorney or his/her designee.
B.
The public defender or his/her designee.
C.
A judge of the District Court (as designated by the
Administrative Judge).
D.
A judge of the Circuit Court (as designated by the
Administrative Judge).
E.
The supervising attorney of the Legal Aid Bureau or
his/her designee.
F.
A representative of the Human Relations Office.
G.
The Director of the Department of Community Services
or his/her designee.
H.
A representative of the Board of Education.
I.
A member of the County Council.
J.
A representative of a Harford County law enforcement
agency (as selected by the Harford County Police Commission).
K.
The Director of the local Department of Juvenile Justice
or his/her designee.
L.
The Director of Social Services or his/her designee.
M.
A representative of Harford Community College.
N.
A citizen representative appointed by the County Executive.
O.
A citizen representative appointed by the County Council.
P.
An active volunteer mediator.
[Added by Bill No. 03-28]
The County Executive shall appoint annually
a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. The Chairperson shall preside
over all meetings of the Commission. In the absence of the Chairperson,
the Vice-Chairperson shall preside. A quorum shall consist of eight
members.
With the exception of the law enforcement representative,
all members shall serve terms coterminous with the term of the County
Executive. The law enforcement representative shall serve a term of
one year, and for each year thereafter, the Harford County Police
Commission may either reappoint the representative or may select a
representative from another local law enforcement agency to serve
on the Commission.
The Harford County Community Mediation Commission
shall:
A.
Establish and maintain a voluntary mediation service
for the citizens of Harford County.
B.
Promote the mediation process and the participation
of organizations and individuals in the County in the mediation process.
C.
Adopt rules and procedures for the administration
of the mediation services.
D.
Meet with the Mediation Coordinator and others as
may be necessary.
E.
Report annually to the County Executive and the County
Council as to the utilization and effectiveness of the mediation program.
There shall be a Mediation Coordinator designated
by the County Executive as recommended by the Commission.
A.
The coordinator shall:
(1)
Develop and maintain a list of mediators.
(2)
Act as processor for mediation requests.
(3)
Assign mediators to the cases.
(4)
Evaluate mediators.
(5)
Develop a budget as necessary.
(6)
Act as liaison with government agencies.
(7)
Locate facilities for mediation sessions.
(8)
Coordinate training for mediators.
(9)
Maintain appropriate data and records regarding the
mediation program.
(10)
Report to the Harford County Community Mediation Commission
at least semi-annually to review the mediation program.
(11)
Perform other duties as delegated by the Commission.
B.
The County Executive shall designate appropriate staff
as necessary to support the mission of the Mediation Coordinator.
