[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Lopatcong 12-2-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-11. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Whenever it is permissible pursuant to state law for the Township Council to adjourn into an executive session to discuss those matters which are set forth in N.J.S.A. 10:4-12B, the Township shall be required to follow the procedures as set forth herein.
Before the Township Council may discuss any matter in executive session, it must first adopt a resolution, at a meeting to which the public shall be admitted, stating the general nature of the subject to be discussed and stating, as precisely as possible, the time when and the circumstances under which the discussion conducted in closed session of the governing body can be disclosed to the public.
The Township Council shall cause to be kept reasonably comprehensive minutes of all executive session meetings showing the time and place, the members present, the subject considered and any other information required to be shown in the minutes by law.
A. 
The Township Clerk shall make every effort to draft executive session meeting minutes within 30 days of the meeting; however, all executive session minutes must be drafted and submitted to the Council no later than 60 days from the meeting date, absent exigent circumstances.
B. 
When feasible, executive session minutes shall be considered for adoption by the Township Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting after the draft minutes have been provided by the Township Clerk, but no later than the second regularly scheduled meeting of the Township Council. Nothing herein shall be construed as to require the Council to authorize release of any portion of the minutes of an executive meeting when the Council, pursuant to advice from the Township attorney, deems that it cannot be released at that time because the information is still required to be withheld from the public for reasons set forth in the aforesaid statute.
Once the executive session meeting minutes are approved by the Township Council, those minutes are available for inspection pursuant to the Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.). The Township Clerk and/or the Township Attorney shall review executive session minutes and make the appropriate redactions prior to any inspection or release of executive session minutes.
Annually, the Township Clerk and the Township Attorney shall review the executive session meetings minutes and determine if any of those records are no longer subject to redactions under the Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.). A list of those meeting minutes shall be provided to Council.