Council affirms keeping executive-session minutes confidential; schedule B for releases deferred

Council members discussed the semi-annual review of executive-session minutes and the process for releasing or retaining confidentiality for those minutes. Staff said the procedure requires the same body that held the closed session to review and decide whether to keep minutes confidential or to release them.

A staff member explained that council had previously reviewed minutes in January (or February) and that absent a motion to go into closed session tonight, the council could direct staff to keep the listed executive-session minutes confidential and place a schedule B (minutes proposed for release) on a future agenda. "So right now, we're gonna we're doing a motion to, basically keep our executive session meetings closed for now. There wouldn't be a motion right now," a council participant said. The discussion concluded with the direction that staff would prepare the resolutions and that any requests to release minutes would be scheduled for consideration on a future agenda; no closed-session meeting or release vote occurred tonight.

Councilmembers asked procedural clarifications about whether the Committee of the Whole or the City Council should conduct reviews of minutes and whether closed-session review belonged to the same body that held the session; staff recommended the review occur in the same body that held the closed session. The item will return for action or consent on a future agenda with a schedule listing minutes to remain confidential and any schedule of minutes proposed for release.