Morgan Township trustees enter executive session on personnel, interview three candidates

Morgan Township trustees convened a special meeting on March 4 and voted unanimously to move into an executive session to deliberate personnel matters, the board said.

The presiding officer called the meeting to order at 5:58 p.m. and, during roll call, participants identified themselves in the record as Mr. Day, Mr. Brooker, Brandon and Christopher. The presiding officer then made a motion “to go into executive session pertaining [to] personal matters” to consider appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation of a public employee or official; the motion was seconded and carried. The board recessed into closed session at 5:59 p.m.

Trustees returned to open session at 8:38 p.m. A trustee announced that the board had interviewed three candidates during the closed session and said the trustees would discuss the matter further at the township meeting scheduled for Monday. The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.

The meeting record does not state any formal appointment, hiring decision, or vote taken in open session. The transcript uses the word “canons” in one place; the record context and subsequent discussion indicate the intended word was “candidates.” The board did not announce names of any candidates or any personnel action in open session.

Votes recorded in the public portion show affirmative responses when entering and exiting the executive session; the transcript records “yes” responses but does not consistently print full, unambiguous names for every vote in the portions available. Where names appear clearly in roll call, they are reported above. The trustees did not make any other public motions or policy decisions during the special session.

The board is expected to continue discussion about the personnel matter at its next regular township meeting, according to the trustee’s on-the-record remarks.