The Woonsocket City Council returned to open session Wednesday evening, sealed the minutes of a closed-door discussion, and adjourned within minutes without taking any action in public.
The council's published recording of its August 5 special meeting, labeled by the city as a continuation, captures only the closing moments of the proceeding. The chair confirmed the council was back in open session and asked for a motion to seal the executive session minutes. Executive session is the legal term for the portion of a meeting closed to the public; sealing the minutes keeps that record from being released until the council votes to unseal it.
The motion to seal was made by Councilor James C. Cournoyer and seconded by Councilor Sharon L. Harmon. It was approved by voice vote.
Local sponsorAffordable photography lessons in Newport, Jamestown, or your town.E.L. Photo RIThe chair then stated that no votes were taken while the council was in executive session, and asked members to keep the discussions to themselves "until further developments." The recording does not identify the subject of the closed session, so what the council discussed is not clear from this portion of the proceeding.
With no further business, Cournoyer moved to adjourn and Councilor Kristina A. Fox seconded. The motion carried by voice vote, and the chair adjourned the meeting at 6:43 p.m.
For residents, the practical effect is narrow: nothing was decided in public, no money was appropriated, and no ordinance advanced. Because no vote was taken behind closed doors either, any action arising from whatever the council discussed would have to come back at a future open meeting.
Under Rhode Island's Open Meetings Act, agendas for city meetings are posted in advance on the Secretary of State's public meeting calendar and by the city clerk. Sealed executive session minutes remain closed until the council acts to release them, so the next public step would be a posted agenda item on either the underlying matter or the unsealing of those minutes.