On April 10, 2025, the Town of Needham Board of Assessors voted to enter an executive session to discuss real estate and personal property exemption and abatement applications, returns of property held for charitable purposes, and litigation strategy, Board Chair John Bullion said.

The move, which the board made after noting there were no public comments or taxpayer appointments, invoked state open-meeting provisions that allow closed sessions for matters not subject to public inspection and for discussions where public disclosure could harm the government's litigating position. "This meeting is being broadcast via Zoom and is being recorded for publication, later viewing, and administrative purposes," John Bullion said at the start of the meeting.

Bullion opened the meeting by confirming the session was being recorded and that no members of the public were present in the room or online. After noting there were no taxpayer appointments, he asked for a motion to go into executive session "to comply with the conditions that are in general. Specifically discuss real estate and personal property exemption and or abatement applications, which are not open to public inspection or to comply with the provisions that are generally law specifically to discuss returns of property held for charitable purposes, which are not open to public inspection or to discuss strategy with respect to litigation of an open meeting may have a detrimental effect in the government's litigating position." The motion was moved, seconded and recorded with aye votes.

The transcript records the board chair and at least one unnamed assessor taking part in the motion and voice vote. The meeting record does not provide individual vote names or a full roll call in the transcript provided; the motion was recorded as approved with affirmative responses.

Because the matters described—exemption and abatement applications and returns of property held for charitable purposes—are treated as nonpublic under the Open Meeting Law when specific statutory conditions apply, details of the discussion and any decisions reached in the executive session were not disclosed in the public record.

No further business or public comment was recorded before the board moved into the closed session. The board did not announce a time to return to open session in the portion of the transcript provided.