Decatur City Council votes to enter executive session to discuss preliminary negotiations on trade and commerce

A council member requested the council enter an executive session to discuss preliminary negotiations involving matters of trade or commerce in which the city is competing with private entities or other governmental bodies. The requester said public discussion of proprietary or confidential information would harm the city's competitive position and that the council would not return to continue the public meeting after the executive-session portion.

Council members responded by voting "Aye." The transcript records multiple "Aye" responses; individual members are not named in the provided excerpt. The motion to go into executive session was approved in the meeting excerpt and the council adjourned to the executive session as requested.

Why it matters: Executive sessions under state law allow local governments to discuss confidential matters such as negotiations and trade secrets out of public view. The council cited preliminary negotiations and potential proprietary/confidential trade information as the basis for the closed session.

What the transcript does not include: The transcript excerpt does not include details of the negotiations, the identities of private entities involved, any staff presentation for the item, or a recorded roll-call naming each councilmember's vote.

Ending: The meeting record provided ends with the council moving into executive session; no subsequent public deliberations or outcomes were included in the excerpt.