(a) Each county board shall consist of five members who shall be appointed by the governing authority of the county. No person serving as a member of a county board on July 1, 1994, shall have such person's term of office shortened by this subsection. On and after that date, however, vacancies in such office which occur for any reason, including but not limited to expiration of the term of office, shall be filled by appointment of the county governing authority except as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section. No elected officer of the state or any subdivision thereof shall be eligible for appointment to the county board. In making appointments to the county board of family and children services, the governing authority shall ensure that appointments are reflective of gender, race, ethnic, and age characteristics of the county population.

(b) The term of office of members of the county board shall be for five years and until the appointment and qualification of their respective successors, except that upon the expiration of the terms of the members of the county board in office on July 1, 1994, one member shall be appointed for a one-year term, one member for a two-year term, one member for a three-year term, one member for a four-year term, and one member for a five-year term.

(c) Appointments to fill vacancies on the county board caused by death, resignation, or removal before the expiration of a term shall be made for the remainder of such term in the same manner as provided in this Code section for original appointments. In the event that the governing authority of the county shall fail to fill any such vacancy or any vacancy caused by expiration of term on the county board within 90 days after such vacancy occurs, the commissioner may appoint members to the county board to fill such vacancies.

(d) In addition to the five members required by subsection (a) of this Code section, the county governing authority is authorized but not required to appoint two additional members. One such additional member shall be a school counselor employed in the county and one such additional member shall be a law enforcement officer of the county who is responsible for investigating reports of child abuse. Members appointed pursuant to this subsection shall be appointed for terms of five years and shall be paid the per diem authorized in subsection (e) of this Code section. Appointments to fill vacancies created by the death, resignation, or removal before the end of the term of a member appointed pursuant to this subsection shall be made in accordance with subsection (c) of this Code section.

(e) Members of the county board shall serve without compensation, except that they shall be paid a per diem of not less than $15.00 per month and shall be reimbursed for traveling and other expenses actually incurred in the performance of their official duties; provided, however, that the gross expenses assessed against a county shall not exceed the amount of the budget of the county previously set aside and levied by the county authorities for such expenses.

(f) In addition to the five members otherwise provided for in this Code section, the board of family and children services in any county of this state having a population of 550,000 or more according to the United States decennial census of 1970 or any future such census shall include an additional two members who shall be subject to this Code section in the same manner as the five members otherwise provided for in this Code section. Each member provided for in this subsection shall be appointed for a term of five years and until the appointment and qualification of the member's successor, except that in the initial appointment of the two additional members one member shall be appointed for a four-year term and one member for a five-year term; and these initial members shall serve until the appointment and qualification of their successors.