Lawsuit: Town contests complaint, releases statement on open government

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The Pagosa Springs Town Council has released a statement of principle pertaining to open government after going into executive session at its Dec. 17 meeting.

According to agenda documentation used at the meeting, the executive session was pursuant to  the lawsuit Hudson vs. Hessman, and was “Relative to Matters that may be Subject to Negotiations, Developing Strategy for Negotiations, and Instructing Negotiators.”

The lawsuit was filed by local resident Bill Hudson and his attorney Matt Roane pertaining to an executive session that occurred  back in September.

In that executive session, the council allowed Matt Mees and Bill Dawson, representatives of the Springs Partners and parties with whom the town was negotiating, into the executive session.

“I appealed to the Town Council, over a two month period, to please discuss my objections concerning the September executive session, and to please ask their attorney to share any case law that justified the Council’s decision to allow private business owners into an executive session where that same business was being discussed behind closed doors,” wrote Hudson in an email to SUN staff on Dec. 30.

Hudson went on to say that, after receiving no comment from the council or staff, Hudson filed the lawsuit requesting that the executive session recording be released to the public.

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