Town Council Postpones Personnel Decision

The Town Council's decision Tuesday night to hold an unusual mid meeting executive session in anticipation of voting on a personnel resolution came up without any official action.

The Council voted to move into the executive session, between the paying of the town's bills and consideration of policy resolutions, in order to discuss a personnel matter. The explanation of the closed session was to discuss an issue which related to the employment status and possible disciplining of a town employee. The employee's name and position were not disclosed in keeping with state law. State law requires government bodies to meet in closed session when discussing personnel matters, unless the impacted employee permits an open discussion.

Closed sessions normally take place after all business for the public session has been taken. Such a session was scheduled for the end of Tuesday's meeting for discussion of the firefighters' contract and the town's pending litigation on COAH. Both issues are permitted under state law to be discussed in closed session. Town Administrator Jim Gildea had explained that the mid meeting session was done to allow for the Council to vote on a resolution relating to the personnel matter in public session following the closed meeting.

The Council's return to public session did not feature the discussed resolution and the issues relating to the closed session were not referred to during the brief public session. Gildea said the Council decided to delay final public consideration of the personnel issue in order to discuss the issue again at the workshop meeting next Tuesday. He said a public vote on a resolution will likely occur next week.

The format for next week's meeting will follow the one used Tuesday, with the Council briefly heading into closed session for discussion before moving into public session to handle any official business on the topic.