Columbia City amended its meeting agenda and voted to go into executive session to discuss economic-development negotiations, a potential property sale and legal advice on short-term rentals and pending claims.

At the start of the meeting the presiding officer asked the body to adopt an amended agenda that added two economic-development items — identified in the meeting as “project catalyst alpha” and the Bull Street District — and renamed another negotiation item to “project catalyst copper.” The presiding speaker cited statutory authority for executive sessions as read aloud during the meeting. After a motion and second (not named on the record) the clerk conducted a roll call in which the members recorded support; the motion passed.

Reverend McDowell opened with a brief prayer for the season, saying, "Bless us and keep us." Later, a second motion to enter executive session "as stated previously" was moved and seconded and the clerk again read the roll. The roll-call responses recorded in the meeting transcript show each member answering "Aye" or "Yes," and the body entered executive session.

The items listed for closed-session discussion included: (1) "discussion of matters relating to the proposed location expansion or provision of services encouraging location or expansion of the industries or other businesses in the area served by the public body" (identified in the meeting by the code language read aloud), with two project names added (project catalyst alpha and the Bull Street District); (2) "discussion of negotiations incident to the proposed sale of property" (the agenda item was amended in the meeting to refer to "project catalyst copper"); (3) receipt of legal advice relating to short-term rentals (the code citation was read aloud in the meeting); and (4) legal advice concerning pending, threatened or potential claims involving parties named on the record, including matters styled on the record as City of Columbia v. 1730 Green Street Limited, 2633 Harrison Road Limited, 2715 Millwood Road Limited, Lee and Maple Limited, and Craig Stoneburner.

The meeting did not record who made or seconded the motions by name. The clerk’s roll calls before and after the executive-session motion show the same recorded responses from members called by name. The presiding mayor said the body would "go through a few of the items" in executive session.

What happens next: the minutes show the body entered executive session; the transcript does not record actions taken inside the closed session nor any subsequent public vote on those items. Any formal approvals, contracts, or agreements resulting from the closed session would be recorded in later public minutes or a subsequent meeting's agenda.