By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Commissioners have a few rules here and there that have emerged over the years.

In the mid-1980s there was the policy change requiring that roll call votes be taken if requested. Prior to that date minutes of meetings didn’t reflect which commissioner voted for what.

In more recent years the board adopted new policies about public input. Under the rules, speakers from the public can be limited to three minutes, are required to fill out a card within the first 30 minutes of a meeting, and public comment periods are held at the end of meetings.

In more recent months, there has been much debate about who has the authority to do what. Does the chairman decide when public comments are made? Does the chairman weigh in on discussion? May commissioners bring up and make motions on topics not on the agenda?

Monday night the board began tackling some of those issues that arose last year when two new board members came onto the board. At that time verbal disagreements about operating procedures flourished among the seven commissioners.

“We’ve been operating without set procedures or rules,” Chairman James Prevatte said.

“I really don’t have any major questions,” Commissioner Amon McKenzie said. “I do have a suggestion: stay the way we are rather than change,” McKenzie said.

“I guess I’m concerned. Have there been any real violations that would constitute putting rules in place?” he asked.

“We seem to know how to act,” McKenzie insisted. “It’s just something else to tie us up. Over the last 10 years we’ve been just fine.”

“I’m not sure we’ve violated any policy,” Commissioner Ronald Gore said. “I definitely think we need to have something in black and white so there is no he-said she-said.”

Gore said he liked a policy that County Attorney Steve Fowler had drafted using recommendations from a school of government publication and existing rules.

“It’s very simple and straightforward,” Gore said. “I think we need to stick to this and go by it.”

“This is more custom-fit to this board,” Fowler said of the document he drafted.

He pointed out that the document he drafted included how public comments would be accepted, how roll call votes would be recorded, and policy reading requirements of two times before adoption –all measures the board has adopted over the years.

Fowler pointed out the rules he drafted allow for the chairman to weigh in on discussion rather than require the chair designate another board member to engage in debate as suggested in the school of government publication.

“I’d like for the chairman to be active in debate,” Commissioner Sammie Jacobs said.

“We have set in the past a loose set of rules and I see no problem in having an adopted policy,” Commissioner Bill Memory said.

“I think it’s a good thing we come up with a set of guidelines,” Memory said.

Memory pointed out the board could change the rules anytime.

“They can be modified by this board because this board governs itself,” Memory said.

“I don’t see any case where we have violated any major travesty in the past,” Memory said.

Commissioner Ricky Bullard had suggested the board consider using handbooks published by the school of government. He said it would make the rules accessible to everyone.

“I think we do need rules,” Bullard said.

“I think we should go ahead and adopt these here,” Commissioner Lynwood Norris said of the rules Fowler drafted.

“It appears that we have, for the most part, been operating under it,” Jacobs said. “I have to give credit to the five-man system. They didn’t have as much argument but they had less people to deal with,” Jacobs said.

“I think we should stay away from Roberts Rules; that could tie our hands,” Jacobs said of parliamentary procedures.

“I agree we do need some rules and procedures,” Prevatte said. “I think you’ve done a good job. I feel like, as he said, this is customized to our needs.”

Prevatte was concerned about the idea of public comment held until the end of a meeting. At an earlier meeting last month he said public input would come at the beginning of meetings and as chairman he could make that decision.

Jacobs said it should be a flexible policy left to the chairman’s discretion.

“Billy Joe (Farmer, a former county manager) and I came up with the policy we have now,” Memory said of the requirement that anyone wishing to speak fill out a card within the first 30 minutes of the meeting, have three minutes to speak and have comments come at the end of meetings.

“I could care less whether it comes at the beginning or end.” Memory said, “The public would still have to understand” that topics brought up did not mean a vote would be taken on the matter.

Memory said it would be fine to leave it to the discretion of the chairman.

“I think we are splitting hairs here,” Memory said.

Memory said it was very important that an ethics creed adopted in past years be included with the rules.

Most board members were unaware such a creed existed.

“This code of ethics; where is that?” Gore asked.

Memory pointed out a framed creed hanging on the wall of the commissioners’ chambers. He said several counties adopted it years back.

“That’s really not accessible to me,” Gore said. “All board members need that just like they need these rules.”
McKenzie still insisted adopting more rules would tie the commissioners’ hands.

“We were operating fine just the way we were,” McKenzie said. “Our hands are tied enough.”

“We vote on things two, three and four times,” he declared.

“These folks we serve are being neglected because we are spending so much time on policies,” McKenzie said. “We have them. They are pre-established.

“You’re going to put yourself in a bind,” he insisted, but said he would “go along with the majority” but hinted in the future he might find himself saying “I told you so.”

Bullard said he thought the board should stick with hearing public comments at the beginning of meetings. “We are here to discuss the people’s business – I have no problem with that.”

No action on adopting uniform rules or changes to county employment benefits and policies was taken. Prevatte said future workshops would be held to discuss the rules but no future date was set.