The council members cite some vague excuse such as discussing contractual matters in order to preserve the appearance of abiding by the state's open meeting law. Council members have become so accustomed to this mode of secrecy that they had to change the minutes of a meeting to include a public vote that may not have ever taken place. The law requires public bodies to take all votes in public session, and the council had authorized the city manager to negotiate with a developer. But there was no such public vote recorded in the minutes of the meeting. A Herald-Journal reporter who attended the meeting said the council took no public vote, but city officials insist that the vote was just left off the minutes by mistake.
Council members differ on their recollections of the vote.
And city officials say that the tape recorder that records council meetings was turned off when the vote was taken. Whether the council actually held a legal vote or not, the confusion clearly shows that the council has become too loose about meeting behind closed doors. Such meetings should be held as rarely as possible in the very few instances in which it is reasonable to keep discussions from citizens. But this council seems to care little whether its citizens are informed. The value of open government and accountability are apparently lost on its members.