The three-minute rule
For the first time in his short tenure as chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, Kirk Perkins instituted the 3-minute time limit for commissioners during discussion on agenda items.
The move happened during a heated discussion on the board's voting procedure that had been brought up in previous meetings. In short, the board was tying to pin down whether a commissioner should have his or her vote counted as a "nay" during decisions made when that commissioner isn't in the meeting room.
In recent months, when a commissioner wasn't in the room, their vote was counted as a no - even if they had to leave for an emergency. In many boards the vote of a commissioner who isn't present is counted as neither for nor against the issue.
On Thursday, they changed that, and made a commissioner's absence mean that there wouldn't be any vote recorded for them, which aligns the rules with the board's past practice.
But they had a lengthy debate along the way that resulted in the re-introduction of 3-minute time limits for commissioners to speak on issues at a meeting.
Commissioner Bruce Davis wanted to know what happens for commissioners who "take a walk," bringing up a practice of an elected official avoiding yes or no on an issue. In the General Assembly in Raleigh, he said, a legislator can just leave the building when it comes time to vote and avoid voting on an issue.
If someone does that in Guilford County, then that vote should be counted as a "nay" automatically, he argued.
Then other commissioners jumped in with the question of whether making a bathroom trip constitutes "taking a walk".
Commissioner Carolyn Coleman brought up the idea of making a "protest vote".
Then other commissioners chimed in over one-another on what it means to be in the meeting room, how and when they could abstain from a vote, and whether they need the board's permission to be excused from a meeting or not.
Perkins banged his gavel several times in an attempt to restore some order.
This conversation took at least 20 minutes of time in Thursday's meeting. And as the debate wound on, Perkins said he wanted to start the 3-minute clock - a clock that limits the speaking time for the commissioners to a maximum of three minutes per person.
Speakers from the public who address the commissioners have a time limit, Perkins later said, "so we should, too."
Then, a bit later in the debate, Perkins closed the discussion, cutting off Davis in the middle of his comments in which he elaborated more on "taking a walk."
Skip Alston told Perkins that he couldn't cut off the commissioner and close the debate. Perkins said he could. Sharron Kurtz, county attorney, said that Perkins could, indeed, close the debate. And he could ignore motions on any rule, including a substitute motion that Alston proposed.
Perkins instead asked for a vote on the original motion to approve the rule, which stated that if a member is not present for a vote, then that member is counted as absent and a vote would not be counted either way.
The board approved it, 8-3, with Alston, Coleman and Davis voting against the rule.
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