Reminder: Special Meeting Scheduled for Monday, July 8, Re: Rehoboth Beach Violated FOIA in City Manager Hiring Process
Updated July 1: The Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting next Monday, July 8 at 2pm, to discuss and consider ratification of the city manager鈥檚 contract. The meeting will include an opportunity for citizen comment.
This post has been updated with this response from the City of Rehoboth Beach from earlier today (June 27):
Here is the city鈥檚 statement from Mayor Stan Mills:
To be clear, the City of Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners always believed that it was following Freedom of Information Act requirements and that discussion and approval of the city manager鈥檚 employment agreement in executive session was permissible. We are disappointed with the attorney general鈥檚 determination.
That said, the Board of Commissioners supports the attorney general鈥檚 commitment to openness and transparency in government. Transparency in government is important, and the state鈥檚 Freedom of Information Act is our guide. To have been found in violation of FOIA laws signals a failure in the city鈥檚 transparency and is an injustice to our citizens. We are committed to adhering to FOIA principles. We can and will do better.
Original post from Wednesday, June 26:
In this Attorney General Opinion released on Wednesday, Dorey L. Cole, Deputy Attorney General, stated that “we conclude that the City violated FOIA by holding an executive session for an improper purpose and failing to discuss the employment contract and compensation package in open public session, by failing to properly notice two executive sessions, and by failing to notice a public comment period on the agendas of the above-referenced meetings.”
