Six members of the Currituck County Commissioners, in collaboration with County Attorney Megan Morgan, are facing allegations of violating North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law. Commissioners Bob White, Mary Etheridge, Owen Etheridge, Selina Jarvis, Mike Payment, and Kevin McCord are accused of conducting official business through a series of emails (read them here) exchanged between January 15 and January 16, 2024. Notably, Commissioner Paul Beaumont was intentionally excluded from these email communications.

The North Carolina Open Meetings Law (NCGS § 143-318.10) mandates that official meetings of public bodies be open to the public, ensuring transparency in decision-making processes. Conducting government business through private electronic communications, such as email, may potentially raise concerns about compliance, particularly when it involves a majority of the members of the public body.

In this instance, a quorum was met and exceeded during the online meeting, with substantive deliberations and decisions made outside of a publicly noticed meeting. Excluding Commissioner Beaumont may be considered a deliberate attempt to circumvent transparency requirements.

The County Attorney, Megan Morgan, actively participated in the online meeting. Her role is expected to involve cautioning commissioners about potential violations of the Open Meetings Law, especially when a quorum is met through electronic communications.

This alleged violation will undoubtedly raise questions about the transparency and integrity of the decision-making process within Currituck County’s government. We will closely monitor developments in this matter and provide updates as they become available.