Commissioners clash over special-meeting agenda rules; retain Reginald James month-to-month as interim administrator in 3-2 vote

The Gaston Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 to retain Reginald James on a month-to-month basis as interim county administrator while the board conducts a national search. The motion to retain James was moved and seconded and passed 3-2 after discussion and public comment.

The vote followed a broader dispute about how special meeting agendas are set and what items commissioners can require to be added. Multiple commissioners objected to items being placed or removed from a special-meeting agenda without what they said was proper notice. One commissioner placed on the record: "You cannot keep a commissioner's request off of the agenda," asserting that commissioner items were being excluded from special meeting agendas.

The county attorney explained that the county's special-meeting procedure (referred to in the meeting as "20 21 dash 0 1 5") distinguishes special meetings from regular meetings and states that the chair sets the agenda for special meetings; the attorney said the special-meeting policy requires the county administrator to conduct a poll when a special meeting is requested outside the regular meeting process. The attorney summarized: "The process for a special meeting is different ... it requires that the county administrator conduct a poll" and that "20 21 dash 0 1 5 does not give a commissioner the right to have an item placed on the agenda; it gives a commissioner right to request something to be placed on the agenda."

Several commissioners said they expected items discussed at a prior regular meeting to appear on the special meeting agenda, including a strategic plan item and other commissioner requests. The chair and other members reorganized items on the agenda during the meeting (removing item 7.b and moving 7.d to 7.b), which prompted further debate about process.

On the administrator search timeline, staff described a recruitment schedule proposed by the FACM committee that includes advertising, a committee review period, and recommendations to the board. A motion was made to engage Reginald James on a month-to-month basis during that search; opponents said a short-term month-to-month arrangement could force the interim administrator to spend much of his time on training and that the county might need an administrator with direct county-government experience.

A commissioner warned that the county needs sufficient administrative capacity to draw down federal and state grant funding quickly: "We have to have someone that can pull down that 12,000,000 or ... pull down the 3,500,000 ... and get these things pushed through the state and federal government." Supporters of the month-to-month retention cited immediate continuity needs during the search. The motion to retain Reginald James passed 3-2.

Separately, the board approved procedural motions to remove agenda item 7.b and to move item 7.d to the 7.b position during the meeting; those agenda adjustments were adopted by motion and second.