EDITORIAL: Secret Barrow BOC meeting wasn’t smart

Barrow County has an unusual quirk in its county charter that defines a quorum of the Barrow BOC as being five out of seven members. Most governments define a majority of a board as a quorum. If a board has a quorum, it must announce meetings in advance and follow all the provisions of the Georgia Open Meetings Law.
So technically, last Wednesday when four members of the Barrow BOC met, they weren’t a “quorum,” although they were a majority out of the seven-member board. It appears they didn’t violate state law due to the unusual wording in the Barrow County charter.
Still, in an atmosphere where citizens are upset over a controversial public issue, for a government to hold a meeting of a majority of its members without announcing it in advance wasn’t very smart. Although legal, such meetings only raise suspicions about the intentions of the government officials involved.
That is certainly true in Barrow County where many citizens believe there is a hidden agenda behind county efforts to expand the Northeast Georgia Regional Airport in Winder. Secret meetings do nothing to quell such suspicions.
For the short-term, Barrow officials should recognize that the way they handle this controversial issue is as important as what they do. Splitting legalistic hairs is no way to build public confidence.
For the long-term, perhaps Rep. Terry England and Sen. Ralph Hudgens should consider legislation re-defining “quorum” in the Barrow County charter as being a majority of members, not the current five out of seven.

The citizens of Barrow County cannot be served well if a majority of their county commissioners are allowed to meet in secret to discuss public business.

--Editorial, The Braselton News Feb. 27, 2008