Howard County Council Special Meeting – June 8, 2026: Closed Session Vote on Personnel Matter
Howard County Council Special Meeting – June 8, 2026
On June 8, 2026, the Howard County Council held a special hybrid meeting immediately following the Board of License Commissioners meeting. The sole purpose was to determine the need for a closed session under Maryland Code General Provisions §3-305(b)(1) and (7) concerning a personnel matter and legal advice. All five council members (Chair Opel Jones, Christiana Rigby, Deb Jung, Liz Walsh, David Yungmann) were present.
Motion to Close Meeting
- Councilmember Opel Jones moved to close the meeting to discuss the performance, discipline, and removal of one or more board members, and to consult with legal counsel.
- The motion was seconded. After asking if there was any discussion (none offered), the council voted unanimously (5-0) to proceed with the closed session.
- The open session was then adjourned, and the council moved to the Council’s Large Conference Room for the closed session. The live stream ended at that point.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous vote (5-0) to close the meeting in accordance with §3-305(b)(1) and (7).
- The council entered closed session; no further public action was taken.
Meeting Transcript
This is the council special meeting to determine the need for a closed session. The proceeding this morning 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. At this time, I'm going to do a roll call of the council members. Ms. Rigby? Here. Ms. Young? Here. Ms. Walsh? Here. Mr. Youngman? Here. And I am Opal Jones. 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 June 8th today, under Maryland Code, General Provisions, Section 3 305 B1 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. 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 performance, discipline, and removal of one or more board members, and legal advice from council regarding that personal personnel matter. Is there any discussion regarding the need to go into closed session? Okay. I move that this meeting be closed in accordance with the Maryland Code General Provisions, Section 3305 B1 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, 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 performance, discipline, and removal of one or more board members, 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? Will the administrator please call the vote to close the meeting in accordance with Section 3 305 B1 and 7? Chair Jones? Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Ms. Young. Yes. Ms. Walsh. Yes. Mr. Youngman. Yes. The motion to close the meeting in accordance with Section 3305 B1 and 7 passes. We will now adjourn our special meeting to go into closed session. This meeting will conclude at the end of the closed session. For those of you watching online, we will be ending our live stream now. We are adjourned. Thank you.
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