Howard County Council Special Meeting – February 17, 2026: Closed Session Vote on Personnel Matter
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Howard County Council Special Meeting – February 17, 2026: Closed Session Vote on Personnel Matter
The Howard County Council held a special hybrid meeting on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. to vote on whether to convene a closed session to discuss a personnel matter and obtain legal advice. The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to close the session.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Close Meeting: Council Chair Opel Jones moved to close the meeting in accordance with Maryland Code General Provisions, Section 3-305(b)(1) and (7) to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom the County Council has jurisdiction, and to consult with counsel for legal advice on a legal matter. The topics specified were the performance and compensation of one or more specific employees and legal advice regarding that personnel matter.
- Second and Vote: Councilmember Yungmann seconded the motion. The council voted by roll call: Chair Jones (yes), Ms. Young (yes), Mr. Yungmann (yes). No objections were raised. The motion passed unanimously.
- Adjournment: The open session adjourned immediately after the vote, and the council proceeded to closed session in the Council’s Large Conference Room. The live stream ended at that point.
Meeting Transcript
This webinar is being recorded and summarized. Good evening, everyone. This is the council's special meeting to determine the need for a closed session. The proceeding this evening is a hybrid meeting which is held in person and via WebEx teleconference. It is also available to the public via video stream online at the County Council website. This time I'm going to do a role of council members. Um Ms. Young. Here. Mr. Youngman. Here. I am Opal Jones. Uh Ms. Walsh, are you with us virtually? Oh, she's not yet? Okay. And Miss Rigby is around the corner. But we have a quorum, so we'll get started. We will now proceed with our agenda. Council members. Based on the general provisions article of the annotated code of Maryland, there is a need to meet in a closed session on February 17, 2026, under Maryland Code General Provisions, Section 3305, B1 and 7 to discuss the appointment, appointment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom the county council has jurisdiction, or any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals, and to consult with counsel to obtain legal advice on a legal matter. The topics are the performance and compensation of one or more specific employees and legal advice from council regarding that personnel matter. Is there any discussion regarding the need for a closed session? Right, hearing none, I move that this meeting be closed in accordance with the Maryland Code General Provisions, Section 3305 B1 and 7 to discuss the appointment, appointment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom the county council has jurisdiction or any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals, and to consult with council to obtain legal advice on a legal matter. The topics are the performance and compensation of one or more specific employees and legal advice from council regarding that personnel matter. Is there a second? Second. Are there any objections to proceeding with a closed session in accordance with section 3305 B1 and 7? All right. Hearing done, will the administrator please call the vote to close the meeting? Chair Jones. Yes. Ms. Young? Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. All right. The motion to close the meeting in accordance with section 3305 B1 and 7 passes. We will now adjoin our special meeting to go into closed session. This meeting will conclude at the end of the closed session. For those of you that are watching online, we will be ending our live stream now. We are adjourned and thank you. This meeting is no longer being recorded. This webinar is being transcribed and summarized.
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