ROCKINGHAM — After more than three hours in closed session, the Richmond County Board of Commissioners took no action following a special meeting held at the Richmond County Airport.
Commissioners met at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, with only one item on the agenda: to enter closed session under North Carolina General Statute 143-318.11(a)(6), which allows a public body to hold a closed session to consider individual personnel matters.
The meeting was open to the public before commissioners entered closed session.
The statute reads: “To consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee or prospective public officer or employee; or to hear or investigate a complaint, charge, or grievance by or against an individual public officer or employee. General personnel policy issues may not be considered in a closed session. A public body may not consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, appointment, or removal of a member of the public body or another body and may not consider or fill a vacancy among its own membership except in an open meeting. Final action making an appointment or discharge or removal by a public body having final authority for the appointment or discharge or removal shall be taken in an open meeting.”
Board Clerk Dena Cook and County Manager Bryan Land were not present at the meeting.
The closed-session item was originally included on the agenda for the commissioners’ regular August meeting but was removed given the number of speakers during public comment. Commissioners took no action after returning to open session.