City, JDA working to clarify details from Sept. 8 daycare discussion
Questions remain surrounding a Sept. 8 meeting held by the McClusky Job Development Authority concerning the closure of the community daycare, as the McClusky Gazette continued working to assemble information about what took place on Deadline Sept. 14.
During the JDA's Sept. 2 meeting, board members announced plans to hold a public hearing Sept. 8 regarding the daycare. Following that meeting, the McClusky Gazette contacted city Auditor Amanda Saueressig on Sept. 4 noting North Dakota open meeting requirements and concerns that public notice requirements would not be met before the hearing if the JDA moved forward with the Sept. 8 date.
The Gazette, which is the city’s legal newspaper, was not notified prior to the hearing a meeting was taking place by the city, but was notified after the fact by members of the community an event had occurred and likely a quorum was present by both the JDA and city council.
On Sept. 14, Saueressig confirmed to the newspaper an event occurred at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8. However, she was not present at the meeting, and as of deadline Sept. 14, she did not have meeting minutes of what occurred.
In an effort to inform readers about discussions surrounding the daycare closure, the Gazette submitted questions to JDA members and city officials seeking information about attendance, topics discussed, actions taken and the reason the meeting proceeded after concerns about notice requirements were raised.