Yukon council directs city attorney to draft contract for city manager finalist after executive-session interviews

YUKON, Okla. — The Yukon City Council on Aug. 16 directed the city attorney to prepare an employment contract for city manager candidate Jeff Deckard after holding interviews with finalists in an executive session. The action followed a special meeting convened that morning for the city manager interview process. The presiding officer said the motion to instruct the city attorney was “the first step in a process” and that the attorney would negotiate terms with the candidate. Council members spent the morning and early afternoon conducting interviews in roughly 45-minute windows for seven candidates, the presiding officer said. The council moved into executive session under Oklahoma’s open-meeting statute cited in the meeting as 25 O.S. § 307(B)(1) to interview specific applicants. Adam Clark, the city clerk, told the public that the council expected Facebook Live coverage to pause during executive session and likely resume between about 1:00 and 1:30 p.m.; the last scheduled interview was set for 12:45 p.m. After returning from executive session, the presiding officer read executive-session minutes and said, “During the executive session, only the items on the executive session were discussed. No action was taken. No votes were cast.” The council then took the public motion to direct the city attorney to prepare an employment contract for Jeff Deckard. The presiding officer emphasized the council had evaluated candidates during interviews and thanked those who traveled to attend. “This is not the final hiring decision for this candidate,” the presiding officer said. “Our city attorney will evaluate that and negotiate that with a candidate.” The council voted on the motion to instruct the city attorney; the clerk called the roll and recorded affirmative responses from members present. The meeting was then adjourned. Next steps indicated at the meeting: the city attorney will draft and negotiate an employment contract with the named finalist. The council did not finalise a hiring decision during the special meeting and did not vote to hire the candidate on Aug. 16.