§ 2-19. Commissioners management structure.

(a)

Powers. The commissioners shall have all the power and authority vested upon them by the Town Charter, the Town Code, and the General Statutes of North Carolina.

(b)

Commissioners oversight. The board of commissioners (board) shall facilitate effective communication between all areas of government by requiring periodic status reports from all groups and by commissioners appointed to town department committees and as a support person with a particular group. The mayor shall, with the agreement of the board, appoint commissioners and other individuals to be on various town departments and support committees. The commissioner appointments will be made as soon as practical following the election of the mayor in November. The appointments continue at the pleasure of the majority of the board, but absent removal or reassignment shall continue for two years. Specifically there are four major groupings requiring commissioner involvement. They are: Departmental committees (two commissioners appointed), town boards/commissioners/committees (one commissioner appointed), town non-governmental organizations, and inter-governmental groups (commissioner and or resident appointments as necessary).

(1)

Departmental committees. Outlined below are the departments that commissioners are to be appointed. The department committee meetings are to meet on a regular basis/or as needed, discuss and make recommendations on important issues as they arise, provide the board of commissioners with status reports or recommendations as they come forth and controlled with an agenda. The intent of these meetings is to address topics which are not short-term, but rather longer-term broader topics which are plans directed towards overall town objectives. Such plans/topics, once prioritized, will be reviewed and discussed by the commissioners before being placed on the yearly agenda list and tracked with the annual agenda list at the regular board of commissioners meetings. The department committees below are considered essential; however, others made be added as needed.

Budget and finance. Examples of topics for discussion at the meetings include: Fund balance guidelines, future sand tax, audit review, investments, budget projections, projection for town reserve funds, cash management plan. In addition to two commissioners, the mayor, the town manager, and the town's finance officer shall be members of this committee.

Public works. Examples of topics for discussion at the meetings include: Enterprise fund debt management, long-term funding for the maintenance of town infrastructure, town-wide efficiency initiatives, long-term planning for streets, bridges and parks, major town beautification initiatives, and long-term planning for trash and debris removal and recycling. In addition to two town commissioners, the mayor, the town manager, and the town's public services director shall be members of this committee.

Public safety and emergency management. Examples of topics for discussion at the meetings include: Long-term planning for personnel and equipment for fire, police, and emergency medical services, town-wide emergency management planning, town OSHA plan, beach safety, and traffic requirements for town-wide issues. In addition to two town commissioners, the mayor, the town manager, the town's police chief, and the town's fire chief shall be members of this committee.

Administration. Examples of topics for discussion at the meetings include: Major personnel policy changes, analysis of market place salary and benefits projections, planning for staffing requirements, policies for approving contracts and surveys. In addition to two town commissioners, the mayor, the town manager, and the administration department head shall be members of this committee.

Planning. Examples of topics for discussion include: Policies for approving code and ordinance enforcement, ordinance development, zoning regulations, inspection of property, economic development, other planning as it is related to county/state regulations, and the town land use plan. In addition to two town commissioners, the mayor, the town manager, the planning board chair, the community appearance commission chair, the planning administrator, and the building inspector shall be members of this committee.

(2)

Town boards/commissions/committees (e.g., planning board, community appearance commission, parks and recreation committee, historical advisory committee and shoreline). A commissioner shall be appointed as support (advocate) for each group. The commissioner should be generally familiar with the defined mission and activities of the group, as well as the expectations of the board for that group. A commissioner should assist the group in identifying priorities and provide a report of key areas of relevant interest from the most recent board of commissioners meeting; and facilitate communication to the board of commissioners by reporting items that require action by the board of commissioners. The support commissioner will work with the mayor, town manager, department head and committee chairperson in recommending appointments to the board of commissioners. The board should identify, create new, and dismiss unnecessary groups, as required.

(3)

Town nongovernmental organizations (e.g., homeowners associations, women's club, garden club, etc.) The town manager shall cause to be maintained a listing, with current contact points, of all such organizations. The commissioners can solicit, through the town manager, salient issues from these groups and provide a forum for their presentation to the board.

(4)

Inter-governmental groups (e.g., other towns, county, state, commissions, etc.) Specific current examples are: Eastern Carolina Council representative, Carteret County Beach Commission representatives, Regional Solid Waste, Mayors' Disability, Crystal Coast Mayors' Association, county transportation, and Down East RPO. These positions and individuals are to be considered adjunct to the appropriate commissioner committee identified above. The town manager shall cause to be maintained a current listing, with name and contact information, for the person and/or commissioner representing Pine Knoll Shores to these groups. The board of commissioners shall require a report presented to the board, as defined in section 2-21, if the group's activities could or would significantly impact the town.

(c)

Commissioner strategic topics. The mayor may create a list of items, subject to the commissioners' agreement, which identifies items of focus that would improve the quality of life and financial wellbeing in Pine Knoll Shores. Such ideas shall then be assigned to the appropriate department or committee. Generally these will be long-range in nature and topic specific.

(d)

Town manager. Tactical and day-to-day management of town business is the responsibility of the town manager consistent with strategic direction, ordinances, state and federal law, and policies set forth by the board of commissioners. The town manager shall report the status of town department operations regularly at public commissioner meetings as defined in section 2-21. The commissioners, together with the mayor, will act as a committee of the whole to annually evaluate the town manager. This will be headed up by the mayor. All actions that come forth from this committee will be approved by the board of commissioners.

(e)

Mayor. The mayor shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

The board of commissioners may by resolution establish other departments or divisions. Commissioners may be appointed to serve as liaison for more than one department or division.

(Code 2001, § 2-1; Ord. No. 2001-11, 11-13-2001; Ord. No. 2002-10, 9-11-2002; Ord. No. 2011-14, § I, 11-8-2011; Ord. No. 2015-08 , 7-8-2015)