Left In Lowell

The City Council will go into Executive Session tomorrow not merely to discuss one issue but to discuss three topics:

Council meet in Executive Session relating to Strategy Sessions for City Manager Contract in preparation with negotiations of non-union personnel.

Grand Manor-meet in Executive Session as it relates to real property and matters subject to litigation.

Update ongoing Union Negotiations-meet in Executive Session as it relates to strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation.

In the past an Executive Session meeting would be held and on occasion somethings would leak, or should I say the spinning would begin. But now with the new law, Executive Sessions, these minutes should become public sooner than later.

This is the section of the law that applies to Executive Session: “It has long been true that executive session minutes are to be made public when the need for secrecy ceases to exist. Now, the chair or his designee is required “at reasonable intervals” to review the executive session minutes to determine what can be released. That determination shall be announced publicly at the next open session. What is “reasonable interval?” The answer may come in regulations to be issued by the Attorney General. If anyone makes a public record request for a set of executive session minutes, and the public body has not conducted the review just described, then it must do so and release any part of the minutes that no longer require secrecy no later than the body’s next meeting or 30 days after the request, whichever comes first.”

So if I understand this new law correctly, within two weeks these minutes could be made available to the City Council along with the regular meeting’s minutes. At that point, Mayor Jim Milinazzo needs to review the minutes and determine what can be released.

I am not sure if the Mayor is required to announce that he has reviewed the minutes and at this time cannot release anything. I would think that Executive Session meeting minutes have the same level of detail as the regular meeting minutes. All this will be revisited in a few weeks.