Town of Middletown council recesses into executive session to discuss union contracts and land acquisition

The Town of Middletown council recessed its open meeting into executive session to discuss several collective-bargaining matters and five land-acquisition items, Council President Paul M. Roderick said.

Roderick read the statutory authority for the closed session, saying, "executive session pursuant to provisions of Rhode Island General Laws sections 42-46-2, 42-46-4, and 42-46-5," and then listed the topics the council planned to consider, including collective bargaining with IAFF (firefighters), FOP (police), bargaining units for teachers and teacher aides, Council 94, DPW/Teamsters, and library staff, as well as a non-classified personnel matter and multiple land-acquisition items.

At the clerk's roll call the council confirmed a quorum before the pledge of allegiance. Following the reading, a councilor moved that the open session be recessed and reconvened in executive session; another councilor seconded the motion and the chair called for a voice vote. The clerk announced the body was in favor, and the council recessed into executive session. The motion was recorded in the meeting notes but the transcript does not record a recorded roll-call tally for that motion.

The council did not take substantive, public votes on the items listed during the open session. Any decisions, settlements or votes on collective-bargaining contracts or land purchases would occur either in subsequent open meetings or be reported later according to the council's practice; the transcript does not specify follow-up deadlines or outcomes for the listed items.

The meeting record shows the matters were placed on the executive-session agenda; the public portion of the meeting ended after the motion to recess, and no additional public discussion of the contracts or land-acquisition items is recorded in the provided transcript.