County chairman says budget talks didn’t violate state law, accuses media of racism

Accusing the media of racism, Mecklenburg County Commissioners’ Chairman George Dunlap says that commissioners did not violate the state open meetings law when they discussed a proposed tax increase and other budget issues away from public view.

During a commissioners meeting Tuesday, Dunlap harshly criticized Commissioner Pat Cotham and the media for questioning whether it was legal for officials to negotiate changes to the county’s proposed $2 billion budget during phone calls and emails with each other.

Cotham alleged in the email exchange that the communications circumvented North Carolina’s open meetings law.

The law says that public boards must give public notice of meetings and keep them open with few exceptions, according to the UNC School of Government, which assists local governments.

Dunlap accused Cotham of leaking to a reporter the emails that were traded between him and other commissioners.

“The media supports Cotham and her antics,” Dunlap said. “They perpetuate racism and stereotypes.”

The comments come after an Observer report last week revealed that commissioners discussed the budget outside of public view in the days before a public meeting on the issue.

In one email from his personal account, dated May 22, Dunlap told commissioners he had compiled a list of budget amendments commissioners wanted to see. During the meeting, he wrote, he would call for a vote on the recommended changes and the budget should pass unanimously.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Cotham told the audience that Dunlap’s criticisms were wrong.

She said she would oppose the proposed budget because the negotiation process was not transparent.

“I don’t know where these (budget) changes come from and neither do you,” Cotham said. “I did the right thing. That was not good government.”

Dunlap acknowledged that some attorneys have said the board’s communications did not follow the law, but insisted they were incorrect.

Any gathering where a majority of the board is present either in person or electronically is considered a public meeting, the School of Government says.

A single group email from a commissioner is allowed under the law, according to the School of Government. But a simultaneous electronic exchange of emails could constitute a meeting, the School of Government says.

But Dunlap defended the communications between commissioners.

He said commissioners have discussed the budget publicly for months and sought input from citizens. He called the budget process this year the most transparent in county history.

“Everything we did was in good faith,” Dunlap said. “It was not a violation.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2019 at 8:26 PM.