Trent Woods leaders delay decision on board changes

TRENT WOODS - Commissioners in Trent Woods will contemplate at least another month before deciding if the three-member town board will expand.

Mayor Chuck Tyson told commissioners Thursday night that they could "study on it" a while longer because one of the leaders had asked that discussion and action be tabled.

"I had one of the commissioners send me an e-mail about it, and it's fine with me if anybody wants more time to think about it," Tyson said. "I'm fine with not even changing it."

Commissioners have been discussing the possibility of expanding the town board from three members to five. Some town leaders have expressed concerns that under the current board structure, two commissioners can't "have coffee together" without appearing to violate North Carolina's Open Meetings Law.

Earlier in the week, they invited Fleming Bell, a legal expert from the University of North Carolina School of Government, to get his advice on potential expansion. Bell said the school doesn't have an official opinion about the size of the town board, but personally, he leans toward a vote among residents.

Another possibility is to give the mayor the right to vote, which Tyson does not have under the current board structure.

"That way, you could have any two people together without having a majority of the board," Tyson said. "But what they decide on that does not matter to me. We've managed to run the town the way it is for 50 years."

Nikie Mayo can be reached at (252) 635-5665 or nmayo@freedomenc.com.