§ 160A-905.  Membership; officers; compensation.

(a) The governing body of an authority is the board of trustees. The initial board of trustees shall consist of 27 members, appointed as provided in this section. For each appointment below, the appointing authority may appoint an alternate that may act in the absence of the primary person appointed. The appointments are as follows:

(1) Six members appointed by the board of commissioners of the county that created the authority. Of the members appointed by the board of commissioners, at least one member must live in an unincorporated area of the county and at least one member must have experience owning or operating a small business. For purposes of this subdivision, a "small business" is one that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field, and employs fewer than 100 employees on a full-time basis.

(2) One member appointed by the governing body of the municipality that has the second largest population of residents that reside in the county.

(3) One member appointed by the governing body of the municipality that has the third largest population of residents that reside in the county.

(4) One member appointed by the governing body of the municipality that has the fourth largest population of residents that reside in the county.

(5) One member appointed by the governing body of the municipality that has the fifth largest population of residents that reside in the county.

(6) One member appointed by the governing body of the municipality that has the sixth largest population of residents that reside in the county.

(7) One member appointed by the governing body of the municipality that has the seventh largest population of residents that reside in the county.

(8) Twelve members appointed by the governing body of the largest municipality in the county that created the authority as follows:

a. At least three of these appointments must be made upon the recommendation of an entity that represents business interests in the county.

b. At least one of the remaining nine appointments by the governing body must be an individual that has experience owning or operating a small business as defined in subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(9) Two members appointed by the General Assembly, one upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(10) One member appointed by the Governor.

(b) Members of the board of trustees shall serve for terms of four years, provided that one-half of the initial appointments shall be for two-year terms, to be determined by lot at the first meeting of the board of trustees, except that the initial term of one member appointed by the General Assembly shall be for two years and the initial term of the other member appointed by the General Assembly shall be for four years to be determined by lot at the first meeting of the board of trustees. Initial terms of office shall commence upon approval by the Secretary of State of the articles of incorporation.

(c) Reserved for future codification purposes.

(d) No elected official may serve concurrently as a member of the board of trustees.

(e) A lobbyist or an immediate family member of a lobbyist may not serve as a member of the board of trustees. The definitions in G.S. 120C-101 and G.S. 138A-3 apply for purposes of this subsection.

(f) Members of the board of trustees shall have demonstrated experience or qualifications in the areas of law, finance, engineering, public transportation, urban planning, logistics, government, architecture, or economic development.

(g) Members of the board of trustees shall reside within the territorial jurisdiction of the authority as defined by G.S. 160A-904.

(h) Every two years, the board of trustees shall elect from its membership a group of officers, which shall include a chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. An election of an officer must be by a majority vote at a meeting where a quorum is present.

(i) No trustee may serve for more than two consecutive terms on the board of trustees, but a person who has been a member for two consecutive terms may be reappointed after being off the board of trustees for a period of at least two years. An initial term that is two years or less shall not be counted in determining the limitation on consecutive terms. This limitation applies regardless of whether the appointments are made by the same appointing authority.  (2025-39, s. 5.1.)