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Council debates plan for town‑county‑school working group; staff asked to research models
Summary
Councilors discussed forming a small working group with Lexington County and the school board to improve coordination on development, traffic and events. Members disagreed over informal staff‑driven coordination versus formal, publicly noticed elected‑official meetings; the council asked staff to research example models and instructed members to conduct brief outreach to counterparts.
Council considered a proposal to convene a small, cross‑jurisdiction working group of elected officials from the town, the county and the school board to improve collaboration on development, traffic and other shared issues.
Proponents said residents want to see elected officials meet and coordinate directly. Opponents raised concerns that a meeting of multiple elected officials can trigger quorum and public‑notice rules, risk politicized public exchanges and place staff in difficult positions if staff become the primary conveners. Town Attorney David reminded the council that once membership reaches a quorum the meeting must be publicly noticed and abide by open‑meeting requirements.
Members landed on a two‑part approach: staff will survey how other jurisdictions structure such joint work and return options to council, and individual council members will reach out informally to counterparts in the county and school board to test appetite and discuss desired rules of engagement for a working group. The council did not create a formal joint body or set membership at the work session; it asked staff for examples that could be considered at a future meeting.
