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Council moves to draft annual release policy for closed‑session minutes
Summary
The city clerk proposed an annual January review and release of closed‑session minutes with attorney redactions as needed; the council generally supported preparing an ordinance for consideration on Nov. 6 and a vote on Nov. 20.
Lambertville — The city clerk presented recommended changes to the way Lambertville handles closed‑session (executive) minutes and the council signaled support for drafting an ordinance to implement an annual release process.
Clerk Cindy explained the current practice: closed‑session minutes are reviewed when a public OPRA request is filed, redactions are made for ongoing litigation or personnel matters, and the city attorney vets releases. The clerk recommended an annual review and release of the prior year’s closed‑session minutes (with necessary redactions) to reduce administrative burdens and increase predictability.
Council members generally backed the annual approach, noting it balances transparency with the workload of staff and the legal limits on disclosing personnel or litigation matters. One councilmember suggested the council flag at the end of each closed session whether a topic is expected to be releasable and provide a year‑ahead calendar for releases.
Council asked staff to draft an ordinance for discussion at the Nov. 6 meeting and to target an adoption vote at the Nov. 20 meeting so the new process could be implemented on a predictable schedule.
What happens next: staff will prepare a draft ordinance and timeline for an annual January release of prior‑year closed‑session minutes, with attorney review and redaction rules incorporated.
