Council authorizes city manager to negotiate property purchases for public use following closed session
Summary
After a closed session, Bristol City Council authorized the city manager to enter negotiations to buy property from multiple owners for public use; the motion was approved by roll call.
Following a closed session on Aug. 26, Bristol City Council voted to authorize the city manager to enter negotiations to purchase property from several property owners for public use.
The action followed a closed session convened under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act exceptions that council cited at the meeting: discussions of real‑property acquisition, probable or pending litigation, and personnel matters (Va. Code §2.2‑3711 subsections). After reconvening in open session, council certified that only lawfully exempted matters were discussed and then adopted the motion authorizing the city manager to begin negotiations with property owners.
The motion was approved by roll call; council did not disclose details of the properties or the potential purchase terms in open session. Council instructed staff to proceed with negotiations consistent with the closed‑session discussion.
Actions: Motion adopted authorizing the city manager to enter negotiations to purchase property for public use; specific parcels and negotiation terms to be handled in staff negotiations and reported back to council as required.
Context: The council cited Virginia code exceptions for closed session deliberations involving acquisition, litigation briefing and personnel matters; after closing, the council returned to the public meeting to take the authorization vote.
