Roseburg, OR. — The City of Roseburg has acknowledged that it failed to provide public notice for an executive session held during its search for a new city manager.
The session occurred Aug. 6 after the Roseburg City Council and two interview panels completed interviews with candidates for the position. Council members met privately afterward to discuss matters related to the recruitment.
Although the city had issued public notice for an Aug. 4 candidate meet-and-greet, the Aug. 6 executive session was neither included in that notice nor announced separately.
The city said the executive session should have been publicly noticed and disclosed the omission in the interest of transparency. According to the city, the notice deficiency does not by itself invalidate the meeting or any actions taken by the council.
“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.”
Oregon Public Meetings Law generally requires governing bodies to notify the public of meetings, including executive sessions that are closed to general public attendance. Executive sessions may be held only for purposes authorized under state law and must still be properly announced.
The recruitment process included a publicly noticed meet-and-greet Aug. 4, during which community members could hear from the city manager candidates. Interviews involving the council and two panels followed on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6.
Roseburg officials said the city is now reviewing its meeting-notice procedures to ensure that executive sessions connected with future recruitment activities are properly announced.
The city characterized the failure as a notice error and said it remains committed to conducting public business transparently and in accordance with Oregon law.
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