Awendaw council votes to retain outside legal counsel after executive session

The Awendaw town council voted unanimously to retain outside legal counsel and authorized the town administrator to execute the engagement letter following an executive session on legal and personnel matters.

Councilwoman Wendy Helms moved that the council "retain legal counsel on [the] legal matter presented in executive session and authorize[s] [the] town administrator to execute the engagement letter." The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with all members present recorded in the affirmative.

The executive session was called under South Carolina Code section 30-4-70(a)(1) and (a)(2), the presiding chair said, for discussion of personnel, council–staff interactions, and attorney–client privileged legal advice related to ordinances under consideration and a potential claim. Catherine, the clerk, reported that no motions or votes occurred during the closed session itself.

Council members then returned to open session and, after the motion was made and seconded, Catherine called the roll. The record shows recorded votes of "aye" by Councilwoman Grace Gasper, Councilwoman Wendy Helms, Councilman Rodney Porsche, Councilman Kent Prouse, Councilman John Timmons, and Mayor Chris Crowley.

The council did not vote on specific litigation strategy in open session; the vote authorized retention of counsel and the administrator’s signature on an engagement letter to formalize that retention. The meeting moved on to other agenda items after the vote.