SALISBURY, Md. - A group of at least 18 people have filed a complaint against the City of Salisbury alleging the Council violated the Open Meetings Act.
The complaint surrounds a Council work session that took place on June 20.
During that meeting, the Council went into a closed session. Later that evening, the Council voted in favor of selling downtown parking lots 15, 1 and 11 to allow a developer to build apartments.
Holly Worthington, a downtown real estate agent alleges the Mayor was in attendance for the closed session, which she says is a violation of the open meeting acts.
The open meeting acts sets parameters for meetings of public bodies.
"My concerns are the way they handled the closed meeting was done improperly. I do feel that maybe this will be an eyeopener so that things can stop being so behind the scenes and out in the open so we can have a voice as well," Worthington said.
In a statement to WBOC, a spokesperson for the city said the following:
"June 20, 2023 to seek legal advice regarding a proposed Amended and Restated Land Disposition Agreement, a copy of which was included as part of the agenda. The City complied with all notice requirements of the Work Session, Closed Meeting, and Special Meeting held on June 20, 2023 and allowed the public to comment extensively on the contract following the Closed Meeting and before the matter came for a vote in the Special Meeting later that evening. The public had and will continue to have the right to observe the deliberative process in the City and the making of all decisions by Council at open meetings."
After the closed session, Council President Muir Boda said the city was discussing a legal matter.
"The Salisbury City Council met in closed session to obtain legal advice on a legal matter from our legal counsel," he said.
Businessman Randy Taylor also signed onto the complaint. He says this boils down to transparency.
"Obviously a closed meeting is allowed inside of a council meeting but within certain parameters and it appears a couple of those were violated," he said.
