Lebanon council unanimously votes to offer wastewater plant operator job to top-ranked candidate

The Lebanon Town Council voted unanimously Dec. 17 to offer the town's Wastewater Plant Operator position to the candidate it ranked first after a closed-session interview process, according to the council's minutes.

Mayor Nelson A. "Tony" Dodi called the reconvened meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. at Lebanon Town Hall. Council Member Scott J. Gilmer moved and Council Member M. Elijah Leonard seconded a motion to go into closed session at 5:37 p.m. under Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(1) for the purpose of conducting personnel interviews for the Wastewater Plant Operator job; the motion passed unanimously, with five council members recorded as "Aye": Vice-Mayor DeAnna C. Jackson, Gilmer, Leonard, J. Leonard Kegley and Nina J. Fields.

Town Manager Andrew R. Shortt read the certification language from Virginia Code, 1950, Section 2.2-3712(D), asking members to affirm that only matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements were discussed in the closed session and that discussion was limited to the topics identified in the motion. The minutes record a roll-call certification with Mayor Dodi, Vice-Mayor Jackson, Gilmer, Leonard, Kegley, Fields and Shortt voting "Aye." The minutes do not report any dissenting statements.

After returning to open session at 6:46 p.m., the council, on a motion by Gilmer and a second by Jackson, unanimously voted to offer the candidate ranked #1 the Wastewater Plant Operator position at the pay level that had been discussed during the closed session; the minutes do not specify the dollar amount or pay range. The council then voted to adjourn at 6:51 p.m. and to reconvene on Jan. 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.

The minutes list Council Members Nelson A. "Tony" Dodi (Mayor), DeAnna C. Jackson (Vice-Mayor), Scott J. Gilmer (Council Member), M. Elijah Leonard (Council Member), J. Leonard Kegley (Council Member), and Nina J. Fields (Council Member) as present; W. Bradley Lambert was listed as absent. Staff present included Town Manager Andrew R. Shortt; the minutes also list several staff members as absent. The minutes state that Andrew Shortt recorded the minutes and that A. Diane Nunley, Clerk of Council, prepared them.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to enter closed session for personnel interviews (mover: Scott J. Gilmer; second: M. Elijah Leonard): Aye 5, No 0, Abstain 0. (Ms. Jackson, Mr. Gilmer, Mr. Leonard, Mr. Kegley, Ms. Fields) - Roll-call certification under Va. Code 9 2.2-3712(D) (read by Town Manager Andrew R. Shortt): Aye 7, No 0 (Mayor Dodi, Vice-Mayor Jackson, Gilmer, Leonard, Kegley, Fields, Andrew R. Shortt) - Motion to offer candidate ranked #1 the Wastewater Plant Operator position (mover: Scott J. Gilmer; second: DeAnna C. Jackson): Aye 5, No 0, Abstain 0. (Ms. Jackson, Mr. Gilmer, Mr. Leonard, Mr. Kegley, Ms. Fields) - Motion to adjourn and reconvene Jan. 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. (mover: DeAnna C. Jackson; second: Scott J. Gilmer): Aye 5, No 0, Abstain 0.

What the minutes do and do not show: The record indicates the council used the statutory authority for closed-session personnel interviews and then unanimously approved making a job offer to its top-ranked candidate. The minutes do not identify the candidate by name, and they do not specify the salary or pay range discussed; the council recorded the pay as "discussed" but provided no dollar figures. Town Manager Andrew R. Shortt performed the roll-call certification required by state law.

Next steps: The minutes do not record whether the candidate accepted the offer; the council is scheduled to reconvene Jan. 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.