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Council moves to executive session to discuss litigation over redevelopment parcel transfers
Summary
The council voted to enter executive session to discuss litigation brought by the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority that challenges whether past council action allows the mayor to transfer redevelopment parcels without subsequent council approval; councilors heard a public explanation before the closed session and the city attorney and council counsel remained in the executive session.
The Lawrence City Council voted to go into executive session to discuss strategy related to litigation filed by the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority (LRA) concerning transfers of redevelopment parcels.
City Attorney Dean Hilton briefed the council in public on the nature of the case: the LRA argues that conveyances of parcels covered by the redevelopment plan do not require additional council approval beyond the council’s 2016 vote approving the overall plan; council counsel said the council’s attorney believes the council must approve each individual parcel transfer. Hilton said the matter raises procedural and legal questions that counsel advised should be discussed in executive session under the open‑meeting law exemptions for litigation strategy.
The council voted, via roll call, to enter executive session with the city attorney and the attorney who represents the council in that matter present; the council said it would return to open session upon completion. No settlement or substantive litigation steps were announced in open session before the executive session.
