Huntersville board votes to enter closed session to discuss real property acquisition

Unidentified presiding official called the pre-meeting to order at 5:30 a.m. and asked for a motion to move into closed session. "Alright, board. It's 05:30. We have our pre meeting, which is a closed session. So I need a motion, to put us into closed session," the presiding official said.

An unidentified board member made the motion "to go into closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11(a)(5) to instruct staff on negotiating the price and other material terms of a proposed contract for the acquisition of real property." After a second was recorded (the transcript does not identify who seconded), the presiding official called for those in favor to raise their hands and stated, "Alright. The motion carries. We will now go to closed session." The record in the transcript shows the motion carried; no roll-call tally or individual votes were recorded in the public transcript.

The board cited North Carolina law as the basis for the closed session. The statute named in the motion, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-318.11(a)(5), authorizes governmental bodies to meet in closed session to "instruct the staff or agent concerning the position to be taken in negotiating the price and other material terms of a contract for the acquisition of real property." The meeting record in the transcript contains no further public discussion of the property, price, or counterparties prior to the board entering closed session.

Because the proceedings moved to a statutorily authorized closed session, no additional details about the property, proposed contract terms, or negotiation schedule appear in the public transcript. The meeting record indicates the board took formal action only to enter closed session for the stated purpose; any subsequent direction, decision or negotiated outcomes were not included in the public record excerpt provided.