Committee debates giving chairman limited email authority for routine budget approvals

Committee member Lee Nettles proposed that the chairman be authorized to approve routine budget disbursements by email when the board has already voted a line item, arguing it would prevent delays when decisions are time-sensitive and quorum is unavailable. The motion prompted legal and transparency concerns: Judge Robert Carter said he would "abstain" on granting sole authority until the committee confirms compliance with sunshine/open‑meetings laws and ensures email documentation preserves a public record.

Members discussed practical safeguards such as documenting approvals by email and recording them in the next meeting’s minutes so the public record remains intact. No binding policy was adopted in the meeting; the chair asked that any protocol consider open‑meeting requirements and preserve audit trails before the committee delegates any authority.