This article originally was published as part of DavidsonNews.net’s other coverage of the Feb. 8, 2011, Town Board meeting.

The Davidson Town Board on Tuesday, Feb. 8, added to its agenda, and then approved, an amendment to its agreement with Mooresville governing the operations of MI-Connection. The amendment expands the MI-Connection board to 7, including town managers from both towns, and changes the way board members are appointed.

The board voted 5-0 in favor of the amendments. Mooresville’s board approved the changes at its meeting Monday, Feb. 7. The agreement would take effect April 1, but it still needs the signatures of Cornelius and Mecklenburg County officials. [NOTE: MI-Connection officials said after obtaining a legal opinion later that the Cornelius and county votes are not required.]

The changes include expanding the board to 7 people by adding the town managers of both towns. And board members’ terms now would be staggered, so that the whole board does not change at once.

It also does away with a rotation that had alternated control between the two towns (3-2). Instead, the board no longer must be composed of specified numbers of representatives from each town, but could include anyone the two towns can agree on, no matter where they’re from.

Also, board members would be chosen by a nominating committee composed of 3 members of the Mooresville Town Board and 2 from Davidson’s Town Board. In the past, the full boards nominated individual representatives from each town. Under the changes, the board’s composition would decided jointly by the two-town nominating committee.

The changes would keep an ex-officio member from Cornelius, where MI-Connection also operates. And it would give MI-Connection’s chief executive a non-voting seat on the board.

Download a copy of the amendments, (PDF).