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Commissioners approve revised Andrews Center bylaws adding voting sheriff members and at-large approval by counties
Summary
The court approved revised bylaws for the Andrews Center that require member counties to approve at-large board members and make sheriffs voting members rather than ex officio non-voting participants; the bylaws will be sent to all five member counties for ratification.
The Van Zandt County Commissioners Court approved revised bylaws for the Andrews Center, a regional mental‑health organization that serves five member counties. The changes include a requirement that at‑large board members be approved by the member counties and that sheriffs serve as voting members rather than non‑voting ex officio participants.
A court member who served on the bylaws committee said the updates came after a year‑long review using templates from other mental‑health centers and to reflect legislative changes requiring sheriff representation. "One of the things that the Andrew Center set up was ... an at large member ... Those at large members, never were approved. They were approved by the board, but they have to be approved by the member counties," the speaker said. He added the change to make sheriffs voting board members would align practice with what many centers now do.
Court members discussed Andrews Center's role in mental‑health crisis care, including the center's ability to hold individuals for up to three days for evaluation. An official noted Andrews Center serves roughly 2,000 clients a year and provides counseling and emergency response teams that coordinate with jails and law enforcement.
The court moved to adopt the revised bylaws and approved the change by voice vote. County staff said the bylaws must be approved by the five member counties (Anderson, Smith, Wood, Rains and Van Zandt) before they take full effect.
