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Payson council recesses to executive session to review town manager applications
Summary
The Payson Common Council recessed into an executive session on May 8 to begin initial review of town manager applications and to receive legal advice on hiring and conducting interviews, citing ARS 38-431.03(A)(1),(2),(3). Two councilmembers were absent.
The Payson Common Council recessed into an executive session on May 8, 2025, to begin its initial review of applications for the town manager position and to receive legal advice on hiring and conducting interviews.
The council’s presiding officer called the meeting to order and stated the purpose: “consideration and action to adjourn to executive session pursuant to ARS 38-431.03(A)(1), (2) and (3) for the council's initial review of applications for town manager and to receive legal advice on hiring,” after which a councilmember moved for the executive session and another seconded the motion. The council then recessed.
Why it matters: Arizona’s open-meeting law allows a public body to meet in executive session under ARS 38-431.03 for specific topics including personnel matters and legal advice. The council’s stated use of that statutory authority begins the formal hiring process for the town manager, a high-level executive position that will guide municipal operations and staff.
What happened: The meeting record shows the presiding officer calling roll—“Let the record reflect that all council members are here except for Dallin Paz and Brett Clarity”—then announcing the stated purpose for an executive session under the cited statute. Following the announcement, an unnamed councilmember moved to go into executive session, another unnamed councilmember seconded, and the council recessed to an executive session.
What the council did not disclose on the public record: The transcript does not name the members who made or seconded the motion, it does not record a public vote tally, and it does not state when the executive session ended or whether any final action was taken in open session afterward. The transcript also does not include any details about the number of applicants, application materials, interview schedule, or any personnel qualifications discussed in public before the recess. Those details were not specified in the public portion of the transcript.
Next steps (as stated on the record): The council indicated the purpose of the executive session was the council’s initial review of town manager applications and to receive legal advice on hiring and conducting interviews. Any formal appointment, finalist selection, interview schedule, or public action would be expected to appear in subsequent public meeting materials or minutes.
