Hartford officials have admitted they violated various aspects of the state’s open meetings law last year when they held a closed-door meeting to discuss proposals to build a new minor league baseball stadium.
Last August, the city assembled a panel including members of the public to interview prospective developers and “help frame the recommendation to the city council.” But a notice of that meeting was not posted in advance, and the meeting wasn’t open to the public.
At the meeting, the panel met with three developers, one of which — Centerplan Development Company — was eventually selected.
WNPR filed a complaint with the state’s Freedom of Information Commission. That complaint was scheduled for a full hearing earlier this month, but the city decided instead to settle the case.
In a letter written to WNPR, the city’s lawyer wrote that the review panel was a public agency, that the meeting should have been publicly noticed, that the panel should have voted to go into executive session, that no action was taken, and that the city “remains committed to complying with the Freedom of Information Act going forward.”
WNPR has withdrawn its complaint.