Ad hoc committee proposes rules changes: mandatory disclosure for substantial matters, capital tracker and higher threshold for consent agenda

Deputy County Manager Brian Stieva and committee counsel presented a package of proposed changes to board procedure designed to increase transparency and standardize how commissioners work with staff. Counsel said the draft would direct commissioners to route requests through department heads and the county manager and would remove an expectation of confidentiality for information routed through management, while creating circumstances where the manager must share information with the full board if it involves a matter of "substantial public interest" or would otherwise substantially benefit the board.

"There essentially is no expectation of confidentiality, when you when a member would talk to staff and, ultimately, the county manager," counsel said, explaining the change aligns with his professional obligations under North Carolina rules of professional conduct. The package also included a proposed capital improvement tracker to be included in meeting packets to show project number, title, initial estimates, changes and current expenditures; and a rule amendment that would require any capital project action with total project value of $300,000 or more to be removed from the consent agenda and considered individually. Counsel presented a supplemental code of ethics (UNC School of Government model) that adds particulars and an enforcement process (including censure) to the board’s 1995 resolution. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about day‑to‑day constituent contacts and whether grants should be added to capital reporting; staff said finance is already working on a grants reporting item and the ad hoc committee did not intend to restrict routine constituent assistance. A placeholder was to be placed on a future agenda for additional edits and possible adoption.