Council and administrator clarify lines of communications; members told to route constituent requests through administrator

County Administrator Mike Moore told Beaufort County Council on Jan. 10 that members should route constituent requests and operational directives through his office rather than contacting department staff directly.

Moore said the administrator's office needs to be the central point for direction to departments so that employees receive a single line of instruction and so administration can prioritize and coordinate responses. Council members at the workshop generally agreed to copy the administrator on constituent emails and to allow Moore to assign or coordinate follow-up with department heads.

Why this matters: Moore and the presenter earlier warned that individual council members providing direction to staff can create divided loyalty and, in extreme cases, allegations of a hostile work environment or other legal exposure. Routing requests through administration is intended to protect staff and to make follow-up consistent.

Moore also said he expects to provide regular communications to council, including a biweekly update and occasional summaries from members who serve as liaisons to outside boards, and he said administration will present a finalized reorganization plan for staffing soon. Council members asked that the administrator be copied or be the primary addressee on constituent-service requests that require staff action.

Ending: Council members agreed in principle to channel staff direction through the administrator and to copy Moore on relevant constituent emails; administration will circulate a proposed communication protocol and the forthcoming organizational changes for review.