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Martinsville council votes to hold closed-session briefing after debate over forensic audit release
Summary
After debate over whether to release a forensic audit publicly, the Martinsville City Council voted to receive a confidential briefing in closed session, certified the closed meeting on return and asked law firm Sands Anderson to prepare a limited summary of material safe to share with investigators.
Martinsville — The Martinsville City Council on Jan. 8 debated whether to release a forensic audit in open session and ultimately voted to go into closed session to receive legal counsel’s briefing, citing attorney-client privilege and privacy concerns.
The city attorney told the council, “I would not recommend receiving this report in open session,” citing employee privacy concerns and the risk that an open discussion could waive privilege. After discussion and a roll-call vote, the council entered a closed session to hear counsel’s briefing and later certified that the closed meeting was conducted in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia §2.2-3711).
Why it matters: Councilors split between demands for maximum transparency and…
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