This is one of my file photos of Albany City Hall, taken on Feb. 15 this year.
The Albany City Council has voted to sue somebody, apparently, but the members evidently don’t want the public to know the details, such as who and why.
Toward the end of its regular meeting Wednesday evening, the council recessed to a 21-minute “executive session” from which the public was barred, as allowed under Oregon’s public meetings law.
When the closed session ended and the council briefly reopened the proceedings to public view, Councilwoman Carolyn McLeod moved to “proceed with litigation as discussed in executive session.” The vote to approve her motion appeared to be unanimous.
Later Wednesday night I watched a video recording of the council meeting, with the closed session blacked out. When it was over, I emailed a couple of city officials asking about the substance of the council action.
What litigation? About what?
When I get an answer, maybe Thursday, I’ll let you know why the council wants to go to court, and against whom.
In recent years the Albany council has closed its meetings to the public more frequently than I remember from my time working in the newspaper game. If all this confidentiality is supposed to be necessary in the public interest, or helpful to the taxpayers, I can’t quite see how. (hh)
This morning (Thursday, April 24), City Manager Peter Troedsson told me: “It’ll become public knowledge very soon – as soon as the tort claim notice is filed.” Oregon law requires tort claim notices before anyone claiming damages can file suit against state or local public agencies or their officers or employees.
Thank you Hasso!!! This is a great observation!
ain’t no way to hide those lying eyes.
ORS 192.660 (2)(h)
“To consult with counsel concerning the legal rights and duties of a public body with regard to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed.”
What more do you want to know? As a member of the media, you could have attended. Additionally, those in attendance aren’t supposed to discuss the details of the meeting.
Correct.
All of the above negative comments are based on gossip. Those who are commenting that it is terrible that this tax exempt religious organization help people who cannot help themselves in the state of Oregon in the United States of America and in Uganda .
United States of America Federal Government” gives” without permission of the taxpayers to places that take the lives of unborn babies and in some states the day of the birth
. And that “same government” gives taxpayer money to organizations such as Antifa, Black Lives Matter & to “ILLEGAL” aliens, when our military veterans have no place to lay their head and other needs vital for living. Jesus Christ, instructed all of His believers in Mathew 25: 35-40 especially verse 35. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,”,verse 40,42,45,46.
In :46 Jesus stated that those who don’t “ will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
”NOWHERE” does Jesus say that his believers can only give water or anything above to only taxpayers in the United States of America! And for you, that aren’t informed on anything as to where your taxpayer money goes, the United States is the MOST giving country
(meaning taxpayer money)in America in the whole World! And this was “PRIVATE” donations from people who knew EXACTLY that their donation was going to build water wells in Uganda . In fact, many days they open their channel showing the wells being dig and those people that receive it . So they are 100% transparent and the Federal Government is NOT 100% transparent !
This comment evidently relates to a completely different story, one that appeared a several weeks ago.
I wish the Albany City Council would be as willing to sue the State of Oregon over its many unfunded mandates.
Maybe they are.
Executive session to discuss litigation is bound by attorney-client privilege.
In the absence of truth people will come to the conclusions that they want to, anytime this type of thing happens it just means that more and more people will come to the conclusion that whoever hides things can not be trusted. Sometimes that is for good reason.
Hopefully, they are suing the software company and all City Employees involved in the Utility Bill FIASCO.
How many 100’s of additional “man hours/OT” were required to answer phones/ MANUALLY process bills etc?
It’s all smoke and mirrors. Those people go to the same golf courses. They go to the same marriages, funerals, and parties. They are intermarried. Decisions are made outside of public meetings, then they put on public performances called city council meetings.
YEAH! It’s almost like… they work together. At the same place. Doing the same job. And they know the same people.
Touche’
Ignorance is bliss as they say. Maybe head stuck in the sand is too. It is ridiculous to think that people don’t exchange favors or make exceptions for family, friends and business associates. Where do you think the term nepotism and cronyism came from. I experience it every day I work. My kiddos are not conspiracy theorists and they see how people exclude some people while making exceptions for others here in Albany. They don’t make assumptions their conclusions are based on knowing concrete information.