160A-684. Board of Trustees.

(a) Members. - The Board of Trustees consists of 11 members. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore of the municipality only accessible by vessel serve as ex officio voting members. The remaining nine members serve staggered three-year terms and are appointed as provided in subsection (b) of this section. Members of the Board of Trustees shall receive the sum of fifty dollars ($50.00) as compensation for attendance at each duly conducted meeting of the Authority.

(b) Appointment. - Nine members of the Board of Trustees are appointed as provided in this subsection. The members must be residents of this State at the time of appointment and must maintain their residency during the duration of their term. Appointed members serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. A vacancy in a term prior to the expiration of the term must be filled by the appropriate appointing authority. The members are appointed as follows:

(1) One member by the Governor.

(2) Two members by the General Assembly under G.S. 120-121, one of whom is appointed upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one of whom is appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(3) Three members appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, at least one of whom must be a resident of the service area of the Authority, as determined under G.S. 160A-682, and at least one of whom must be a member of the Board of Transportation.

(4) One member by the board of commissioners of the county where the Authority is located, who must be a resident of the county but not a resident of the municipality only accessible by vessel.

(5) One member by the elected board of a municipality where the mainland terminal of the Authority is located, who must be a resident of that municipality.

(6) One member appointed by the elected board of a municipality only accessible by vessel, who must be a resident of the municipality only accessible by vessel.

(c) Terms. - A term begins on July 1 of the year of appointment and ends on June 30 of the third year. A member appointed under subsection (b) of this section may not serve more than two consecutive terms on the Board of Trustees. In calculating the number of terms served, a partial term that is less than 18 months in length will not be included.

(d) Meetings. - The Board of Trustees must meet at least once every three months. A majority of the members of the Board of Trustees constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The Board of Trustees must annually elect from its membership a chair and vice-chair. The Board of Trustees may elect from its membership or appoint a nonmember to serve as secretary or treasurer.

(e) Ethics. - Members of the Board of Trustees are subject to the provisions of G.S. 136-13, 136-13.1, and 136-14.

(f) Reports. - The Board of Trustees must submit an annual report of its activities, holdings, and finances, including an audit of its accounts by a certified public accountant, to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations. The report must be submitted by October 1 of each year.