City Council Meetings

Executive Sessions

Council meetings are open to the public. Anyone may attend, except for executive sessions called for one of the purposes allowed by law.  Executive meetings are permitted only for the following purposes and no other:

• To consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member, or agent. This does not apply to filling a vacancy in an elective office.
• To consider the evaluation, dismissal, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against a public officer, employee, staff member, or agent.
• To conduct deliberations concerning labor negotiations, or to acquire an interest in real property which is not owned by a public agency.
• To consider records that are exempt by law from public inspection.
• To consider preliminary negotiations involving matters of trade or commerce in which the governing body is in competition with governing bodies in other states or nations.
• To communicate with legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated.  The mere presence of legal counsel at an executive session does not satisfy this requirement.
• To conduct labor negotiations if either side requests the closed meetings.
• To engage in communications with a representative of the public agency's risk manager or insurance provider to discuss the adjustment of a pending claim or prevention of a claim imminently likely to be filed.  The mere presence of a representative of the public agency's risk manager or insurance provider at an executive session does not satisfy this requirement.

The Council may go into executive session during a meeting only when two-thirds of the council members present vote to do so. The vote must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting by individual vote. The presiding officer must state the purposes which is authorized by statute for holding an executive session (to consider disciplining an officer, for example). However, no final action and no final decision may be taken at an executive session. These may be taken only in a public meeting. Any final action taken at an executive session is null and void.