§162A-34. District board; composition, appointment, term, oaths and removal of members; organization; meetings; quorum; compensation and expenses of members

(a)        Immediately after the creation of the district, the board of commissioners shall appoint three members of the district board and the governing body of each political subdivision included in the district shall appoint one member, except that if any city or town has a population, according to the latest decennial census, in excess of the total population of the remaining cities and towns within the district, or where there are no other cities or towns involved, if the census population is in excess of the total population of the remainder of the district, the governing body shall appoint three members. No appointment of a member of the district board shall be made by or in behalf of any political subdivision of which the board of commissioners shall be the governing body, the three appointees designated by the board of commissioners shall be selected from within the district and shall be deemed to represent all such political subdivisions. The members of the district board first appointed shall have terms expiring one year, two years and three years, respectively, from the date of adoption of the resolution of the Commission for Public Health creating the district, as the board of commissioners shall determine, provided that of the three members appointed by any governing body, not more than one such member shall be appointed for a three-year term. Successive members shall each be appointed to serve only for the unexpired term and any member of the district board may be reappointed. Appointments of successor members shall, in each instance, be made by the governing body making the initial appointment or appointments. All members shall serve until their successors have been duly appointed and qualified, and any member of the district board may be removed for cause by the governing body appointing him.

Each member of the district board before entering upon his duties shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State and to discharge faithfully the duties of his office, and a record of each such oath shall be filed with the clerk of the board of commissioners.

The district board shall elect one of its members as chairman and another as vice-chairman and shall appoint a secretary and a treasurer who may but need not be members of the district board. The offices of secretary and treasurer may be combined. The terms of office of the chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer shall be as provided in the bylaws of the district board.

The district board shall meet regularly at such places and dates as determined by the board. Special meetings may be called by the chairman on his own initiative and shall be called by him upon request of two or more members of the board. All members shall be notified in writing at least 24 hours in advance of such meeting. A majority of the members of the district board shall constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the district board present at any meeting thereof shall be necessary for any action taken by the district board. No vacancy in the membership of the district board shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the district board. Each member including the chairman shall be entitled to vote on any question. The members of the district board may receive compensation in an amount to be determined by the board, but not to exceed ten dollars ($10.00) for each meeting attended, and may be reimbursed the amount of actual expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties.

(b)        Any metropolitan water district wholly within the corporate limits of two or more municipalities shall be governed by a district board consisting of members appointed by the governing body of each political subdivision (municipal corporation) included wholly or partially in the district and an additional at-large member appointed by the other members of the district board as provided in this subsection. The governing body of each constituent municipality shall initially appoint two members from its qualified electors, one for a term expiring the first day of July after the first succeeding regular election in which municipal officers shall be elected by the municipality from which he is appointed, and the other for a term expiring the first day of July after the second succeeding regular election of municipal officers in the municipality. Thereafter, subsequent to each ensuing regular election of municipal officers the governing body of each municipal corporation composing any part of the metropolitan water district shall appoint one member to the district board for a term of four years beginning on the first day of July. The one additional at-large member of the district board shall be a qualified elector of a constituent municipality of the district and appointed initially and quadrennially thereafter by majority vote of the other district board membership for a term of four years which shall expire on the first day of August in every fourth calendar year thereafter.

Any vacancy in district board membership shall be filled by appointment of the original appointing authority for the remainder of the unexpired term.

The provisions of subsection (a) in particular and of this Article generally not inconsistent with this subsection shall also apply.

(c)        In those cases where a district is created which includes a municipality which owns an existing water and sewer system and where the county commissioners are acting as or have been appointed as trustees of a separate water or sewer system, or both which will be included within the district along with an existing municipal system, the district board shall be comprised of seven members designated as follows: three county commissioners and three members of the city council of the municipality, said members to be selected by majority vote of the governing body on which they serve. These six members of the district board shall appoint a seventh member who shall also serve as chairman of the district board and whose term shall automatically expire upon the seating of either a new board of commissioners, or of a new council of the municipality.

The chairman of the district board will be eligible, however, for reappointment, upon the expiration of his or her current term, by the next district board selected upon and after the seating of either a new board of commissioners or new council of the municipality. The chairman of the district board shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, and to discharge faithfully the duties of his office, and a record of each such oath shall be filed with the clerk of the board of commissioners and the clerk of the municipality. The other six members will serve upon said board corollary to the responsibilities and duties of their respective elective offices and such service upon the district board will not constitute the holding of a public office. No compensation shall be paid to any member of the district board except for the chairman, and his compensation shall be fixed by the remaining six members. Except as provided above, no additional oath or affirmation shall be required of the members of the district board. No county commissioner or member of the council of the municipality shall continue to serve upon the district board subsequent to the termination of his or her current elective term, except upon reelection to said office.

The district board shall appoint a secretary and a treasurer who will not be members of the district board. The terms of office of the secretary and treasurer shall be as provided in the bylaws of the district board and the compensation of said officers shall be fixed by the district board. The treasurer shall furnish bond in some security company authorized to do business in North Carolina, the amount to be fixed by the district board in a sum not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000), which bond shall be approved by the district board and shall be continued upon the faithful performance of his duties. Every official, employee or agent of the district who handles or has custody of more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) of such district funds at any time, shall before assuming his duties as such be required to furnish bond in some security company authorized to do business in North Carolina, the amount to be fixed by the district board, which bond shall be approved by the district board and shall be continued upon the faithful performance of his duties in an amount sufficient to protect the district. All bonds required by this section shall be filed with the clerk of the municipality.

The district board shall meet regularly and no less than monthly, at such places and dates as determined by the board. Special meetings may be called by the chairman on his own initiative and shall be called by him upon request of two or more members of the board. All members shall be notified in writing at least 24 hours in advance of any meeting. A majority of the members of the district board shall constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of a majority of the district board present at any meeting thereof shall be necessary for any action taken by the district board. No vacancy in the membership of the district board shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the district board. Each member, including the chairman, shall be entitled to vote upon any question.

Any vacancy in district board membership, except that of the chairman, shall be filled by appointment of the original appointing authority for the remainder of the unexpired term. Each governing body may, by majority vote, replace at any time its representatives on said district board.

(1971, c. 815, s. 4; 1973, c. 476, s. 128; 2007-182, s. 2.)