Board discusses revisions to advisory committee policy; keeps three-year staggered terms and plans March appointment cycle

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners discussed a staff-led rewrite of the county’s advisory committee policy on May 5 and provided direction on several key points including term length, appointment timing, remote participation and reporting requirements.

Brenton (staff) described the rewrite as focused on six discretionary advisory committees: the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Climate Change Advisory Committee, Environmental Review Advisory Committee (ERAC), Library Advisory Committee, Recreation Advisory Committee and the Transportation Advisory Committee. The draft is intended to address inconsistencies in current procedures and reflect commissioner direction.

Key decisions and guidance from commissioners included: - Term length: the board reached consensus to maintain the current three-year, staggered terms so roughly one-third of members rotate off each year. Several commissioners said the staggered schedule preserves institutional knowledge and avoids sweeping turnover after elections. - Term limits: commissioners agreed to keep the current practice and not impose term limits, allowing reappointment unless the board decides otherwise. - Appointment timing: staff proposed several cycles; the board favored moving the annual appointment period to March 1–February 28 to give newly elected commissioners time to review applicants. Staff agreed to return with revised language in the June draft. - Notification of applications: commissioners asked that when an individual commissioner makes a recommendation the clerk/staff provide the board with the recommended candidate’s application materials in advance of the meeting so all commissioners can review before a vote. - Multiple-board service: commissioners agreed members may serve on more than one advisory board; one commissioner suggested a practical recruitment guideline to discourage serving on more than two boards, but the board did not adopt a formal limit. - Remote participation: the county attorney noted a recent North Carolina Court of Appeals opinion that cautioned about remote voting and quorum rules outside a declared emergency. Commissioners expressed mixed views; a majority favored allowing advisory committees to use remote participation to increase accessibility, while excluding the planning board from that allowance because of its statutory functions. The board asked staff and the county attorney to craft clear policy language and safeguards. - Annual reporting: the board asked for a simple, standardized annual report format with an option for committees to present in person when they have substantive updates or requests.

Directives to staff: commissioners asked staff to incorporate these decisions and return with a revised draft policy in June. The county attorney will review any language related to remote participation to reduce legal risk.

Nomination and vote: Commissioner Delaney nominated Terry Tyson for a District 3 seat on the Recreation Advisory Committee and moved to appoint her. The motion was seconded and the meeting record shows a voice vote with members saying “Aye” and “Nay” (two ayes and two nays were audible in the record) and the motion failed. The clerk will maintain the application on file and staff will follow the agreed notification procedure for future appointments.

Quotations from the meeting: "If we're going to vote on somebody, we actually have to have looked at it," Commissioner Delaney said, advocating for applications to be circulated in advance. County attorney (Bob) cautioned: "The cleanest way is just to say to your advisory boards, members must be there physically present," noting legal uncertainty after an appeals court opinion, although he also said the risk is smaller for advisory boards than for a governing board taking final actions.

Next steps: staff will publish a revised advisory committee policy draft incorporating the board’s direction and bring it back for consideration in June.