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Council holds multiple executive sessions on contract negotiations and legal communications
Summary
On May 14 the council voted to find premature public disclosure would harm the city's negotiating position on several contracts (NEPBA, Cornerstone Solutions, State of Vermont) and entered successive executive sessions between 7:00 and 8:35 p.m.; participants invited included the City Manager and City Clerk and, in some sessions, visitor Jason Ouelette.
The Vergennes City Council on May 14 made several formal findings that premature public knowledge of negotiation details would place the city at a substantial disadvantage and voted to enter executive sessions at multiple points during the meeting to receive updates. The council made findings and entered executive session for negotiations with the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA), for confidential attorney‑client communications, for negotiations with Cornerstone Solutions, and for negotiations with the State of Vermont. The motions authorizing the findings and the subsequent votes to enter executive session appear in the minutes with recorded tallies: one executive session (NEPBA update) passed 4-1; other executive session entries were recorded as 5-0 votes.
Minutes note the council invited City Manager Ron Redmond and City Clerk Betsy Sullivan into the sessions and in some instances invited Jason Ouelette specifically. The NEPBA executive session began at 7:00 p.m. and ended at 7:31 p.m.; the attorney‑client session ran from 7:33 p.m. to 7:58 p.m.; the Cornerstone Solutions session ran 7:59 p.m. to 8:10 p.m.; and the final State of Vermont session began at 8:12 p.m. and ended at 8:35 p.m. The minutes record that the latter adjournment occurred "with no motion." The minutes do not disclose the substance of the confidential updates consistent with executive session rules.
