St. Mary's County commissioners vote to terminate contract after closed‑session legal review

The St. Mary's County Board of Commissioners voted to terminate a county contract after receiving legal advice in closed session and authorized the commissioner president to execute related documents.

Commissioner Hewitt moved the contract termination “having considered certain legal advice,” and the motion was seconded; the board then voted, with four commissioners in favor and one opposed.

The vote followed a brief call to order and an acknowledgment that the board had discussed legal advice in closed session. The motion’s text, as read into the public record, said the termination was based on that legal advice and authorized the commissioner president to sign any documents necessary to effect the termination. The transcript does not name the contract or provide further detail about the contractor or cause for termination.

Commission President Guy called for the vote immediately after the motion was seconded. Commissioners registered their votes verbally; the chair announced the result as “4 ayes, 1 nay.” The transcript contains no additional roll‑call detail identifying which commissioner cast the lone dissenting vote.

Because the contract and the legal advice underpinning the motion were discussed in closed session, the public record provided at the meeting included only the motion text and the vote. The board did not provide further public detail about the subject of the contract termination during the session. Any documents executed under the authorization will be signed by the commissioner president as approved by the board and would become part of the county’s records if released under applicable public‑record rules.