Watauga City Council Workshop Meeting - April 13, 2026

This workshop meeting of the Watauga City Council, held on April 13, 2026, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers, focused exclusively on a single discussion item: procedures for the council's training and travel budget. Mayor Arthur Miner outlined a subcommittee proposal to allocate individual budgets for each council member and require council approval for any additional spending. Council members debated whether to adopt these rules via ordinance or council rules, and whether a "one-and-done" model was appropriate.

Discussion Items

• Background and Subcommittee Proposal: Mayor Miner explained that in December 2025, a concern was raised about the mayor's involvement in approving travel, leading to the appointment of a subcommittee (Mayor Pro Tem Blackburn, Councilman Neal, and Councilman Taylor). The subcommittee met on February 18, 2026, and again on April 2, 2026, producing a recommendation: each council member receives a set allocation for training and travel from the budget, and once those funds are exhausted, any additional travel or training needs must come back to the full council for approval.
• Ordinance vs. Council Rules: Councilman Taylor initially questioned whether the policy should be codified as an ordinance. The city attorney advised that an ordinance would be more cumbersome, as budget amendments already require ordinance adoption. After hearing that council rules could achieve the same effect with less formality, Councilman Taylor agreed to proceed with council rules.
• Nature of the Allocation: Councilman Taylor expressed discomfort with a strict "one-and-done" approach where once a member's funds are used, they cannot spend more without council approval — he noted that unexpected needs arise (e.g., legislative travel) and that the mechanism should allow for a simple motion and vote to reallocate remaining funds from the larger pool. Mayor Miner clarified that the intent is not to permanently cap spending, but to ensure transparency and oversight.
• Councilmember Perspectives:
  • Councilman Hill stated she never knew her personal budget and suggested that allocations should be reviewed annually during the budget process. She supported the idea of individual budgets and opposed moving unused funds to other members, preferring that leftover money revert to the general fund.
  • Mayor Pro Tem Blackburn strongly supported the "one budget, one decision" approach, arguing that council members should be responsible stewards of their allocated budgets and should not go to staff for additional funds, as that could create pressure.
  • Councilman Shelburn noted that he rarely travels and questioned whether the same dollar amount should be allocated to each member, as needs vary. He also noted that historically, travel requests were handled without issues and without formal budgets.
  • Mayor Miner and Councilman Taylor emphasized that the only staff authorized to approve travel are the city secretary (who works for the council) and the city manager, and that council members should not bypass the city manager when contacting other staff.
• Mechanics of Additional Funding: The attorney explained that the total budget is one lump sum; reallocations within that sum (e.g., moving unused funds from one council member to another) can be done by simple motion and vote without a full budget amendment, as long as the total amount is not exceeded.

Key Outcomes

• No formal action was taken at the workshop, as workshops are for discussion only. The consensus was to prepare an amendment to the council rules (not an ordinance) reflecting the subcommittee's recommendation: each council member receives an individual travel/training allocation, and any request for additional funds (even if money remains in the overall pot) must be approved by a vote of the full council.
• The item will be presented as item number five on the immediately following regular council meeting, where a motion to adopt the rules change is expected.
• The council agreed to revisit the specific dollar amounts per member during the next budget session.