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Council votes 4-0 to close May 13 meeting to discuss personnel matter
Summary
On May 13, 2025, the town council voted 4-0 to close its meeting under General Provisions Art. § 3-305(b)(1) to discuss a personnel matter concerning non‑elected staff; the worksheet records that no action was taken and lists attendees including Mayor Tracy Gant and senior staff.
On May 13, 2025, the town council voted 4-0 to close its public meeting at 7:43 p.m. via Zoom to discuss a personnel matter involving non‑elected staff, according to the council’s written closing statement and worksheet. Council Member McCauley made the motion to close; Council Member Johnson seconded it. The recorded roll call listed Council Members Serrano, McCauley, Johnson and Turberville in favor; there were no recorded opposing votes or abstentions.
The written closing statement and accompanying worksheet cite General Provisions Art. § 3-305(b)(1) as the legal authority for the closed session and state the topic as a “personnel matter of non‑elected personnel.” The worksheet lists the time (7:43 p.m.), the virtual location (Zoom teleconference, Meeting ID: 841 7796 0049), and persons attending the closed session: Mayor Tracy Gant; Council Members Serrano, McCauley, Johnson and Turberville; Town Administrator Rod Barnes; and Police Chief Eric Beale.
The worksheet records that no action was taken during the closed session. The form also contains an inconsistency: the top portion of the closing statement shows provision (1) checked (personnel), while the worksheet later records the authority under § 3-305 as “4.” That discrepancy is noted in the transcript and is not explained in the meeting record.
Under the Open Meetings Act, the events of any closed session must be disclosed in the minutes of the next open session. The council’s written materials state that the required disclosures and the recorded vote will be included in the next open‑session minutes. The meeting materials do not identify any formal personnel decision, recommendation, or follow-up schedule; they state only that topics discussed were personnel matters and that no formal action was taken.
The council’s use of a closing statement and recorded vote follows the procedural steps the statute requires: an initial open session with proper notice, a recorded vote to close, and a written statement listing the statutory basis and general topic for the closed session. The transcript does not provide additional details about the personnel matter discussed or any subsequent staff direction.
