Council to enter executive session after county declines to sign letter of intent on 26 Oakley; legal options to be discussed

Vice Chair Shook told the City of Poughkeepsie Common Council on May 6 that negotiations with Dutchess County over the proposed use of 26 Oakley had stalled and that the council would enter executive session to discuss legal options.

Shook said the city and county had spent nearly three years negotiating a compromise on how 26 Oakley would be used, and that the mayor had been authorized previously to sign a letter of intent outlining a plan for the site to serve families and a limited number of single women. "I am profoundly disappointed, to say the least," Shook said, adding the county informed the city it would not countersign the letter and would no longer negotiate.

Council chairpersons clarified the executive session would be an attorney–client privilege discussion and that no votes or final actions would be taken immediately after the closed session. The purpose provided on the record was legal strategy regarding the stalled negotiations.

Why it matters: 26 Oakley was discussed in prior meetings as a potential site for housing to serve vulnerable populations. The county’s decision to halt countersigning the letter of intent changes the negotiation landscape and prompted the council to consult its legal advisers.

Next steps: The council went into executive session to discuss legal options; councilmembers said publicly that they would review and pursue available legal steps following attorney guidance but that no public action was scheduled that evening.

Ending: The council did not take immediate public action and deferred discussion of next public steps until after legal consultation.