Charlotte City Council votes to enter closed session for city clerk evaluation

The Charlotte City Council voted by voice to enter a closed session to conduct the City Clerk’s annual evaluation, invoking North Carolina statute 143-318 to discuss personnel matters, according to the meeting transcript.

The meeting was opened by the Mayor, who said the purpose of the session was the City Clerk’s annual evaluation and asked for a motion to go into closed session. A participant reading the statutory language recommended invoking state law, saying, "to preserve the attorney-client privilege in the matter of Hans et cetera," and recited the statutory language calling for closed deliberations on qualifications, competence, performance and related personnel matters.

A council member moved the motion. The Mayor called for a voice vote, asking "All in favor? Anyone opposed?" which was followed by a statement that the motion was approved and the council was "ready to go" into closed session. The transcript does not record who seconded the motion or the numerical vote tally.

The motion the council adopted, as read on the record, invoked GS 143-318A6 "to go into closed session to consider qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee." The record also includes an on-the-record reference to protecting attorney-client privilege in a matter described as "Hans et cetera." No further public discussion or outcomes from the closed session appear in the provided transcript.

The council proceeded into closed session; the publicly available portion of the transcript ends after the vote and does not record any subsequent public action or the timing of when the meeting resumed or adjourned.