Roseburg Acknowledges Public Notice Error in City Manager Executive Session

ROSEBURG, Ore. - The City of Roseburg has acknowledged that an executive session held earlier this month during the search for a new city manager was not properly included in a public meeting notice.

The issue involved an executive session held by the Roseburg City Council on Aug. 6 following interviews with candidates for the city manager position.

The recruitment process included a publicly noticed meet-and-greet on Aug. 4, where members of the community had an opportunity to hear from the candidates. Candidate interviews were then conducted by the City Council and two interview panels on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6.

After the interviews concluded on Aug. 6, councilors met in executive session to discuss matters related to the recruitment.

According to the City, that executive session should have been publicly noticed. While notice had been provided for the Aug. 4 meet-and-greet, the Aug. 6 executive session was not included in that notice and was not separately announced to the public.

The City disclosed the mistake Tuesday, saying it was doing so in the interest of transparency.

“The City takes its responsibilities under Oregon Public Meetings Law seriously,” City Recorder Amy Nytes said. “We believe it is important to acknowledge this error publicly and take appropriate steps to prevent it from happening again.”

Executive sessions allow governing bodies to meet privately for certain purposes permitted under Oregon law, including some discussions involving employment and personnel matters. Although members of the public generally cannot attend those portions of a meeting, public notice requirements still apply.

The City said the notice deficiency does not, by itself, invalidate the meeting or actions taken by the City Council.

Roseburg officials are now reviewing the City's meeting-notice procedures in an effort to make sure executive sessions connected with future recruitment activities are properly announced.

The City said it remains committed to conducting public business transparently and in accordance with Oregon law.