Overview of Voting Rules Voting is one of the most important things that local governing boards do. They vote on a range of things, including, motions, resolutions, ordinances, franchises, contracts, and any other matters that come before them for action. … Read more

For some time, under North Carolina law, violations of city and county ordinances have been treated as misdemeanors or infractions unless the ordinance explicitly said that they were not.  Starting in 2018, the General Assembly embarked on a project to … Read more

The North Carolina General Assembly, in legislation enacted this month, has sped up the process for disclosure of law enforcement recordings in cases of death or serious bodily injury.  The state’s body-worn camera law was in the national news this … Read more

In May of 2020, early in the pandemic, the legislature enacted a new law setting out provisions for remote meetings during a state-level state of emergency. See my blog post here, to see a review the statute, and my blog … Read more

At the beginning of the pandemic, a new statute regarding remote meetings– GS 166A-19.24— provided a roadmap for managing government business. Public officials have learned so much about how to do things differently. Shout out to all of you who … Read more

Philemona has just started a job as a Human Resources Director in Charterville.  She has years of expertise, but she is new to North Carolina. At the end of her first day, the manager asks whether she has any questions. … Read more

As a part of the Act to Provide Aid To North Carolinians In Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Crisis, (S.L. 2020-3, SB 704) the General Assembly has enacted modifications to the laws governing meetings of public bodies, and … Read more

[UPDATE: Section 4.31 of Session Law 2020-3 addresses electronic meetings held during a state of emergency declared by the Governor or General Assembly. The new law’s provisions aren’t reflected in this post, which was written before its enactment. For a … Read more

What services must be provided to annexed areas? State law allows cities to annex property by petition (voluntary) and city-initiated (involuntary), which now requires approval by a majority of voters in the area to be annexed. Once property is annexed, … Read more

The breadth of the North Carolina Public Records Law and the explosion of digital public records have resulted in frequent and voluminous requests for public records. Such requests are time-consuming and often include records that exist only on the personal … Read more