Brian Berger will be left to serve out his term on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners with no further effort to oust him. Monday's decision by the Board of Commissioners came with a few caveats, though.
North Carolina Business Court Judge James Gale recently determined that the amotion process used to unseat Berger was proper -- but the execution of it was not. So for now, Commissioners will let Berger stay on – if he abides by certain rules.
Rule Number One is getting to meetings on time.
That first rule has historically proven challenging for Berger.
No county vehicles or credit cards will be granted to Brian Berger. And he will only be permitted in county offices during regular business hours – with a sheriff’s deputy as an escort.
Berger has done nothing to assure the Board that any mental health issues he may have are under control, says Chairman Woody White, however:
“Now that we have some small timeline of good behavior, we now know that Mr. Berger can control his actions if he decides to. So for now, we’re not going to set another amotion hearing. We’re going to see how Mr. Berger does. And we’re going to adopt rules that he must follow.”
Other parameters set by the Board include reasonable use of county email and how Berger may request information from county staff. Any disputes over those issues will be brought before the full Board at a public meeting.
Berger’s term expires next year.