City council approves negotiated city manager contract after closed-door session

After an executive session to discuss negotiating strategy, the City Council returned to open session and voted unanimously to accept a negotiated contract with Mr. Joyce for the city manager position and authorized the mayor to sign the agreement.

The council first moved into an executive session under the legal authority of the North Dakota Century Code, cited by Speaker 2 as section 44-04-19.1, to allow discussion of negotiating strategy and to provide instructions to the city’s attorneys and negotiators on the city manager contract. A motion to hold the closed session was moved by Alderman Fuller and seconded by Alderman Blessum and carried on a council roll call. The council relocated to the City Council conference room; minutes show the executive session was adjourned at 5:14.

Back in open session, Speaker 3 moved "that we accept the... negotiated agreement that our team put together with Mr. Joyce for the city manager position and authorize the mayor to sign the contract," and the motion was seconded. During discussion Speaker 2 said, "the contract that has been agreed to is quite similar to the one that was with the previous city manager, except for some changes regarding vacation converting to paid time off and some of the things that have happened since that other contract." The clerk then called the roll; councilmembers recorded votes in favor and the motion passed unanimously. The council recorded the approval and authorized the mayor to sign the contract.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn, which carried by voice vote.

The action taken was procedural and administrative: the council used a closed session permitted by statute to negotiate and then approved the employment contract in open session. No financial details of the contract were stated on the public record during the meeting, and no amendments were offered during the open vote.