During a meeting at the Sussex County Administrative Center in Newton, New Jersey, the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners approved the night’s agenda, agreed to table agenda item 12 to the next meeting and adopted a resolution to enter executive session to discuss collective bargaining and employment matters.

The executive-session resolution, read into the record by staff member Christina, cited the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act and the board’s authority under NJSA 10:4-12 et seq. Christina read that the closed session would cover “matters relating to collective bargaining agreements, PBA corrections, and PBA sheriff” and matters relating to employment relationship policies under the cited statute.

Deputy Director Space asked during the public portion that the board consider moving its executive session to the end of the meeting, saying, “I would like to see us move our executive session to the end of our meeting.” That request received no second and was not adopted.

Commissioner Henderson moved to approve the agenda as amended to table item 12, and the motion was seconded. The motion carried after a voice vote in which one commissioner voiced opposition and there was an abstention; the transcript does not identify the names tied to those votes.

Later the board voted to adopt the executive-session resolution the meeting record showed was authorized under NJSA 10:4-12(b) and NJSA 10:4-13. After the vote to enter closed session, the presiding official said the executive session should last about 15 minutes. The board then recessed into closed session.

No substantive discussion of the merits of the items to be discussed in executive session occurred in the public portion of the meeting; the resolution described only the general subject areas to be covered in closed session. The record indicates item 12 will be considered at the next meeting but does not specify the subject of item 12, nor does it identify which commissioner opposed the agenda motion.