The North Carolina Big 10: sharing ideas across local borders.

• Author: Weatherly, J. Harry, Jr.
• Position: North Carolina's Large City and County Finance Officers Committee

Not an athletic conference, the North Carolina Big 10 is a committee of finance officers from the state's large cities and counties. The committee was formed in the early 1970s to address the special needs, problems, and concerns faced by North Carolina metropolitan areas.

Officially named the Large City and County Finance Officers Committee, the group comprises the finance directors and assistant finance directors from the five largest cities and their respective counties. Additionally, the deputy state treasurer, who is the executive secretary of the Local Government Commission, is an ex-officio member. The chairman of the group, a position currently held by the Mecklenburg County finance director, was selected by the members of the committee.

The Big 10 governments represent approximately 30 percent of the state's 7.3 million population. These governments also represent the major metropolitan statistical areas in the state. While cities and counties have distinct service delivery responsibilities, the Big 10 finance officers believe that, because of the cities' large size, there are common concerns from an overall unitwide perspective and from a finance/operational perspective. These issues can be best addressed through informal discussion.

The committee meets over two days three times a year, and the participating governments take turns hosting the meeting. Fees are set for each meeting to cover expenses. One of the advantages of meeting in different locations is that members can see first hand the activities and facilities in each others' areas. During the last several years, the committee has visited Durham's minor league baseball park, the coliseums in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, the Wake County general services building, the Mecklenburg County waste-to-energy facility, and the amphitheater in Raleigh - all financed by the governmental unit or as public-private partnerships.

Meeting Format

For most of the eight- to nine-hour meeting, committee members participate in a private group discussion. The chairman acts as a facilitator and, if necessary, discussion leader, but the roundtable format prompts all members to participate. The closed-door policy allows the members to discuss issues openly, honestly, and candidly. The discussions are intended to remain within the group, and as such minutes are not taken. Any needed official correspondence is authorized by the committee and sent by the chairman.

There are certain standard subjects...