Council Pulls Proposal To Make Closed Session Minutes Public

SMITHFIELD — Seven sets of Smithfield Town Council closed session minutes that town staff determined were eligible for public release will remain sealed for now after a council member raised concerns that some of the matters discussed are still unresolved.

The proposal appeared on the consent agenda for the council’s Oct. 6 meeting.

At the request of Councilman Travis Scott, the item was removed from consideration.

Scott said some matters discussed during the closed sessions remain unsettled and ongoing, including discussions involving lawsuits, and he did not believe the minutes should be made public at this time.

No action was taken to unseal the records.

Staff Recommended Release
According to the council agenda, town staff reviewed closed session records in accordance with North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law and identified seven sets of minutes, dating from August 2025 through April 2026, as eligible to be unsealed.

The records were prepared and reviewed for release by Town Clerk Elaine Andrews and subsequently reviewed by Town Attorney Bob Spence.

Staff recommended that the council approve their release.

The town’s report said the review was also conducted following requests from several Smithfield citizens.

The seven sets of records include redacted minutes from Aug. 19, 2025; Sept. 2, 2025; Jan. 6, 2026; Jan. 20, 2026; and Feb. 3, 2026.

Minutes from closed sessions held April 7 and April 16, 2026, were also recommended for release.

The closed sessions fall within the same general time period when the Town Council was considering the Smithfield Tobs’ move to Smithfield, plans for a new baseball stadium and agreements associated with the project.

Because the closed session minutes remain sealed, it is not known whether any of the seven meetings included discussions specifically related to the Tobs, stadium project or contracts.

What State Law Says
North Carolina law requires public bodies to keep full and accurate minutes of official meetings, including meetings conducted in closed session.

A general account must also be kept that would give someone who was not present a reasonable understanding of what occurred.

Closed session minutes are considered public records under state law, but they may be withheld from public inspection for as long as their release would frustrate the purpose of the closed session.

With the item removed from consideration Oct. 6, the seven sets of closed session minutes still remain unavailable to the public.