The Town of Needham Board of Assessors voted Thursday to enter an executive session to discuss real estate and personal property exemption and abatement applications and to deliberate litigation strategy, the board announced at the start of its meeting.

Board of Assessors Chair John Bullion said the meeting was being recorded and broadcast via Zoom: "This meeting is being broadcast via Zoom and is being recorded for publication, later viewing, and administrative purposes." The board then moved, seconded and took a roll-call vote to enter executive session to consider matters not open to public inspection, including returns of property held for charitable purposes and strategy with respect to litigation that an open meeting might harm.

No members of the public were present for comment on the recorded session, according to the meeting transcript. The transcript records one roll-call response, with a speaker identified as Mike saying, "Aye." The motion to enter executive session was carried and the board recessed into that closed session; the transcript does not record full roll-call votes or the names of the members who made and seconded the motion.

The topics the board listed for the executive session — exemptions, abatements and litigation strategy — relate to statutory confidentiality provisions and standard assessor practice when taxpayer-specific returns or legal strategy are under consideration. The board did not disclose details of any specific abatement or litigation during the open portion of the meeting.

Because the matters discussed in executive session are not public, the board did not provide further information during the open meeting about the applications or litigation referenced. Any formal actions resulting from the executive session would appear in future public minutes or filings if and when the board returns to open session and takes public action.