Council enters closed session to discuss Ward's Plaza negotiations, then certifies return to open meeting

The Winchester City Council voted to enter a closed executive session to discuss disposition of real property where open discussion would adversely affect the city's negotiating strategy, specifically citing Ward's Plaza agreements and consultation with the city attorney. The motion referenced statutory exemptions from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

Councilors voted to enter closed session and later reconvened in open session; the council certified that discussions in closed session were limited to the matters identified in the motion. The mayor then moved to recess briefly before beginning a scheduled work session.

No substantive details of negotiations or outcomes from the closed session were provided in open session; the council's certification, read in open session, stated that the only items discussed in closed session were those listed in the motion.