Commissioners spar over resolution aimed at restoring CAT board after state action

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners opened debate on a resolution described by the chair as an amendment to a local act tied to House Bill 756 and the Chatham Area Transit Authority (CAT) board.

Commissioner Dean Kicklighter said for the record that local legal advice indicates the state-level action that vacated the CAT board was illegal and that the county’s delegation may not have realized the consequences when the state law passed: “...my legal advice says it was illegal,” he told colleagues. Kicklighter urged the commission to act so the county can “straighten out the problem.”

Several commissioners urged caution. Commissioner Patrick Farrell recommended tabling the resolution to pursue negotiations and to allow more information-gathering; another commissioner asked whether the measure would affect transit operations, and the chair clarified that the resolution “does not affect operation at all.” Some commissioners sought clarity from the county’s legislative delegation and legal staff about the state law’s application before taking a formal position.

The motion to introduce the resolution was made and seconded and commissioners cast votes; debate continued with requests for outreach, negotiation and more legal detail. The chair emphasized the resolution was a “step in the process,” not an operational change.