Board members unanimously adopted a new initiative proposed by Commissioner Sid Baynes and agreed to, in principle, by members of the ruling majority prior to Monday night's meeting.

The initiative calls for the creation of a committee structure to oversee the town board's operation. The plan calls for the creation of five committees and work will be assigned to the committees by Mayor Pro Tem Carol Hinnant.

Called "Making Wendell Better," the initiative also calls for the town board to be more responsive to public input, to become more involved in programming on East Wake TV, to improve the town's Web site and to conduct an assessment of the town's programs and resources.

Baynes said he joined Commissioner Carol Hinnant and commissioners-elect Christie Adams and Ginna Gray to forged an alliance that would initiate change in town government.

"All of us have continued to get together. We have also talked individually to Ira and we feel that the five of us will represent a board that won't always be unanimous in our decisions. We may not even agree on a lot of things. But one thing we will agree on and that is that the citizens of Wendell will be what this town is about," Baynes said.

The five committees include Fiscal and Human Resources, which will be chaired by Hinnant and co-chaired by Gray; Education and Community Relations, chaired by Gray and co-chaired by Adams; Public Works, Facilities and Insfrastructure, chaired by Fuller and co-chaired by Baynes; Law Enforcement and Recreation chaired by Adams and co-chaired by Fuller; and Land Use and Economic Development, chaired by Baynes and co-chaired by Hinnant.

Baynes said the committees will chart their own course in terms of what projects they undertake, but he said he could envision the Education and Community Relations committee working with local schools to find ways the town could support educational efforts.

Baynes would not say whether he discussed the proposal with other members of the new majority after the election.

"That's not the point," Baynes said. "I drafted this document. It was one person's proposal."

Members of the Wake County Board of Education drew criticism recently when they opened their first official meeting with a slate of resolutions they had agreed to prior to their first meeting.

The initiative does not include a formal role for Mayor Harold Broadwell, although Baynes said the plan would be an inclusive one. "No one's going to be excluded from our efforts to take Wendell into the future. To the contrary, we expect everybody to be a part of this. If people don't want to be a part, they're going to make that choice on their own," Baynes said. Reached Monday, Baynes said Broadwell will have the same opportunity as any other citizen to participate in the initiative.

The plan was new to town staff who got their first look at the proposal last Monday night when Baynes presented it.

Town Attorney Jim Cauley said Wednesday he was reviewing the document to determine what rules the town board will need to follow as it puts the plan into motion.

He said the committee system is not unusual. "You see that kind of structure in small towns. That part of it is not that odd," Cauley said. "I'm looking at it and the mechanics of it. The way it is implemented could cause concerns," Cauley said.

Committee meetings will be open to the public and commissioners will either have to post public notices of the meetings or establish a standing time for those meetings to be held.

"I don't know what they are going to do about giving proper public notice. It may be easier to have some standing schedule. I don't know what they envision," Cauley said.

Baynes said Monday he showed the proposal to Hinnant prior to last Monday's meeting, but that no one else had seen it.

"I know that was a bit awkward, but I didn't want to give a lot of opportunity to pick it apart," Baynes said.