Adjourning to Executive Session

[Guest Richard Guzzardi]

Must a motion be made in a regular meeting, and a reason given, to go into Executive Session, or can you adjourn the meeting and say now we are in Executive Session?

[J. J.]

The motion would just be to go into executive session.  You would not adjourn to executive session as adjourning ends the meeting.

 

You do not need to announce the reason for executive session, unless your own rules require it. 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 3/6/2024 at 5:27 PM, Guest Richard Guzzardi said:

Must a motion be made in a regular meeting, and a reason given, to go into Executive Session, or can you adjourn the meeting and say now we are in Executive Session?

No, if you adjourn the meeting, the meeting ends, and you are not in session at all.

See RONR 9:24, which says in part:

A meeting enters into executive session only when required by rule or established custom, or upon the adoption of a motion to do so. A motion to go into (or out of) executive session is a question of privilege (19), and is adopted by a majority vote.

The motion need not include a reason unless your own rules require it or a regulation applicable to organizations of your type (e.g. a Sunshine Law that applies to public bodies) does.