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There it is. There it is. Yes, sir. I'm not usually accused of speaking softly, so everyone

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can hear me?

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No. You cannot hear me?

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How's that? Okay. I could hear me. Okay. All right.

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I'm Geno Brogdon. I'll be presiding over the investigative hearing, but I want to tell

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you at first that the hearing is not going to happen today, and I'll tell you why in

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moment. The Stockbridge Mayor Wynne's dispute, we were supposed to have an investigative hearing

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this morning and we have some preliminary matters that I'm going to have the lawyers

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address but you'll understand why we're not having the hearing this morning. Where are

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the, is Mr. Kenner? Okay, good deal. Mr. Kenner, preliminary matters.

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We

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want to invoke our right pursuant to the resolution as well as the Charter for a hearing

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on recusal.

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We believe that one of the council members is biased and has already pre-judged this

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case.

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And so we're asking that we be allowed to have a hearing on that matter regarding Keisha

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Gatch.

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All right. Mr. Ash, any response to them? I'm going to tell you all what we're going to do.

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I don't have.

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The city of Stockbridge, we reserve our position as to the timeliness, forum, and merits of this motion,

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but understand that the court has decided how we will proceed and we will proceed accordingly.

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This issue of the mayor's challenge of one of the council member's objectivity was heard by Judge Holly Veal last week.

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they had a long hearing. Judge Veal decided that that was a decision that I should make

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as the hearing officer as to whether the motion to recuse one of the council members should

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be granted or not. We are going to have the lawyers and I have already met and we're

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going to have the lawyers exchange exhibits, witness lists and we're going to have a virtual

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hearing on this motion to recuse on August 31st at 5 p.m. I will make a

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decision that day as to whether the targeted council member stays on the

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council for the investigative hearing because it's the council that makes the

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decision. When I make that decision then we will have the final investigative

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hearing on September 12th, Saturday September 12th at 9 a.m. So what was

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going to happen here this morning is going to happen on September 12th at 9 a.m. So I

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appreciate your patience. I want y'all to understand that fairness is the undergird of

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anything we do. If the process is not fair and thoroughly fair, then we can't trust

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the result. So I am pressed upon the lawyers that we need to dot every I and cross every

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every T as we go along in this process together. That's why the separate hearing is necessary.

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So I guess now the,

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may

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someone's going to call it in the session, right? Yes, sir.

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Yeah,

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it's a special session to go ahead and call us to order once it gets to order when it comes up to the matter of, that's the sickest doctor there's a mayor waiting at that point, mayor for team of disaster to get out of the regular call meeting.

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Okay, it's now 1009, I'm going to officially call the special session to order. At this time, I will ask you all to join me for the Pledge of Allegiance immediately following my happy clerk through the roll call.

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Thank

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you so much madam clerk please call the roll.

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Mayor Jaden L Williams.

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Present.

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Mayor Pro Tem Elton Alexander.

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Present.

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Councilmember Laquisha Gantt.

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Present.

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Councilmember Antoine Cloud.

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Present.

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Council Member Kyle Berry

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Present

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Council Member Yolanda Barber

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Present

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Mayor Williams, you have a quorum

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Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, moving on to the subject, I'll now pass the floor to Mayor Pro-Tim Alexander

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Thank you, Mayor Williams. I'm going to take a point of privilege and ask

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Councilman Berry to issue a prayer

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Let us pray

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Eternal God our Father, we are so grateful today that you have blessed us again with life

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Liberty and peace. We pray, Lord God, that you will continue to give us wisdom and

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governance, Lord God, that you will lead us and guide us the way that you want us

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to go. Allow us, Lord God, to not lean to our own understanding, but in all of our

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ways acknowledge you so that you may direct our paths. We pray for this great

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city. We pray for its elected officials. We pray for every resident, every

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business owner, and every constituent and every visitor and guest that passes

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through this great city of Starbridge. Lord God, we pray, Lord God, that this

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meeting today, Lord God, that you will cover us and guide us, Lord God, and that you will

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give us great confidence knowing that your hand is on everything that we do.

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This is our prayer in the majestic name of your Son Jesus Christ.

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We do pray, amen.

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Amen.

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Thank you so much, Mr. Berry.

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I'm going to take another point of privilege if you all would allow me to and say none

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of us wanted to be here, not one of us wanted to be here today.

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I know you didn't want to be here today, and certainly we're going to operate and

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And this is how we're going to operate.

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We will not have anyone speaking out.

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We will make sure that we exercise the right to make sure that this is running an orderly

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fair manner and that we come to a fair and equitable conclusion for even this portion

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where we're talking about the processes.

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So I will continue my comments and say this again.

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Again, all of us took upon ourselves to look at this particular matter judiciously with

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fair and open eyes without biases to make sure that we get through the process and as

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Judge Brockton said, we want to make sure that we cross every T and dot every single

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I to make sure that you all are comfortable with the process that we're transparent

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With the process and no one up here or out there can say that you did not understand this

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process and that you did not, that the outcome, you did not understand the decision that was

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being made with the facts. You were received, in my opinion, you received every single piece

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of fact that we received, and you need to understand one thing. Again, these decisions

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were very tough for us being up here. And I think I, you know, I say and I've seen

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it in the faces of our council members. I've seen it in the interactions out in the public.

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You can't go to the grocery store. You can't go out, you can't go anywhere. The number of

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phone calls that I've gotten even from my hometown, Elton, are you okay? What's going

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on in Stockbridge? What's happening? What can we do? I ask as councilman Barry prayed

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us in that each and every one of you all pray for us and that you pray for the

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mayor and that we come to a fair and equitable conclusion of this particular

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matter. It's going to take time and it's going to require patience on all parties.

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The professionals will lead the process and I come at this from a very unique

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point of preference. I sat in the mayor's seat. I too was investigated by

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the city. It was a long arduous process and it's hard to be in that seat

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I know it is.

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And in the end, the independent process played itself out and brought the results back to

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the council.

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You know, I can say in that time I was cleared, but certainly this is the process that we

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tend to take.

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This is the process that we undertake.

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There was a full report done by the independent investigator in my position and the very

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same thing will happen here where an independent process will play out.

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We will not interfere in the independent process.

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We will only do our part, which the Charter calls us to be, to act as jurors in an unbiased manner.

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But I do, I ask for your prayers and I ask for your understanding and your patience.

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Because as I said, I sat in Mayor Williams chair and it took months.

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It wasn't several weeks, it took months for that to move through the processes.

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And we will ask for your patience and we will try to dictate this in a manner that everybody each member of this council reviews the evidence.

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And I just want to say this, this matter will be judged on the evidence that is brought before us.

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Nothing else will matter outside these doors, not what you put on social media, not what we hear, not what we discuss.

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the matter brought before us will be judged on the evidence that is brought

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into us before each member up here and we will make that decision in the best

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interest of the city of Stockbridge. I thank you for that in that point of

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privilege and what I like to do now is I like to call for a motion to adjourn the

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me into executive session.

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All in favor?

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Who made the motion? I make a motion that we

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move to executive session to discuss legal real estate, cyber security, and personnel

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matters. All in favor? We will adjourn to executive

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session and we'll come back out. Thank you.

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Mr. Edmondson.

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Is the mayor in place? Is the judge brought in? You need to be in place or no?

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He's over there.

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Mr. Edmondson, is there a reason why this officer is standing right here in front of me?

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He said he was instructed to stand there.

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Do you mind, sir, standing in the back? Thank you, sir.

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All right. Council, I need a motion to reconvene the meeting.

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Second. Oh. Motion. You're making a motion?

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Oh, you're going to make a motion.

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So moved.

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Second.

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Okay. All in favor?

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Okay. Following the following executive session, we have some announcements to make.

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And it was a very productive session where both houses got to discuss.

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And we have come to mutual agreement on what is about to be announced.

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and I need the motion please.

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Mayor Pro Tem, I move to amend the previously set schedule

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from today for this matter to adopt

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on to Monday, August the 31st at five o'clock p.m.

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as the date for the virtual hearing

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for the hearing officer to address

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the Mayor Williams recusal petition.

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And furthermore to adopt Saturday, September the 12th

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at nine o'clock a.m. here at City Hall

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as a date for the final investigative hearing.

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Okay, certainly I just want to make sure that everything is clear and is transparent.

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Mr. Kenner, is that what we agreed upon?

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Yes.

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Okay.

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Thank you.

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As you can see there was great discussion and agreement.

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We want to make sure every T is crossed and every I is dotted and that you are

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aware of what is going to happen.

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And we'll move forward from there. Is there any further discussion?

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Do we get a second?

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I need a second.

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Okay. Any further discussion?

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Yes.

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Go right ahead, Ms. Barbara.

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Mayor Pro Tem, I just want to reiterate here publicly

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that all information that our city's legal counsel

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Obtains should be shared with the full governing body.

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Every member of this governing body up to this point, I have not been provided with a lot

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of information regarding this process, regarding who's contracted to even facilitate this process.

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So I've requested contracts.

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Contracts for the public hearing officer, for the judge, and the investigator.

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I want us to be transparent, starting right here with this governing body.

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That's all. Thank you, sir.

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Thank you for your comments, Ms. Barbara.

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Certainly we want to be 100% transparent in this particular matter

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and that the public is confident and that everything not only that you see, that I see, that everyone gets to see.

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And certainly Ms. Gantt.

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I just, for the record, and I don't know if the other council members want to put on the record, but I haven't received the contracts either.

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I don't want anyone to think that this council has received contracts.

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We were just, none of us have received the contracts

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and I want to be placed on the record

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as saying none of us have received them.

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Now, I haven't, maybe somebody else has,

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but if you have, please say so now.

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No, we have not, I have not received them, so.

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Mr. Berry.

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For the record.

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I have not as well.

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I have not received either,

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but we did make that determination today

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in executive session

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that all of us would receive

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the material starting today.

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So it was a consensus.

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Now, Ms. Barbra, this is your second time on this issue. Go right ahead.

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With all my comment. Thank you, sir.

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We have a motion and we have a proper second. All in favor.

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Motion carries 5-0. I would like to do this as well if

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and certainly as we are prepared to close the meeting, is there

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you know, I took a point of personal privilege to be able to make a statement earlier.

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is there if there was anyone else that would like to say something or to add a

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comment certainly now would be appropriate before we close the meeting if

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not we'll go ahead and close the meeting no no one has raised their hand so

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we will call for a motion to adjourn second all in favor thank

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you so much