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Princess Anne commissioners move to fill ethics commission vacancies, discuss expanding membership to five
Summary
Commissioners reviewed the town code for an ethics commission, noted three current vacancies and six to seven applicants, and agreed to research prior minutes and laws before formally changing the commission size; staff recommended appointing members soon and creating a term spreadsheet.
The town president opened discussion on establishing the town ethics commission and asked staff to review the town charter and state reporting requirements for elected officials.
A staff member summarized the code and duties of the ethics commission, saying, “There is a town ethics commission that consists of 3 members appointed by the town commissioners” and that the commission must advise and maintain forms, develop procedures for advisory opinions, and certify compliance to the state. The staff summary noted the town must report annually under state rules and that three vacancies currently exist.
Several commissioners said they recalled a prior local decision to move some boards to five members and argued that a five-member commission would reduce quorum problems. One commissioner said the change should be done by ordinance after the attorney confirms whether the charter was previously updated. Another commissioner urged appointing at least three members immediately and returning later to add two more if required by an ordinance.
The town manager and commissioners discussed the logistics of appointments, with staff noting there are about six to seven applicants now on file and recommending a short special meeting to review applications and appoint members if the commission prefers not to wait for a full agenda process.
Commissioners also asked staff to research historical minutes and recordings to confirm any earlier actions that changed board sizes, and to compile a spreadsheet of board names, term lengths and expiration dates so vacancies can be advertised and filled on a staggered schedule.
The town president closed the discussion by directing staff to proceed with research, advertise remaining vacancies, and aim to have the ethics commission appointed promptly once legal and record checks are complete.
