Times-Call (Longmont): Following closed-door talks last month, Longmont City Councilwoman Polly Christensen suggested Tuesday night that the city hold an open forum on oil and gas at some point in the future.

City staff at Tuesday night’s council meeting agreed to put the item on a future agenda for further discussion.

The council met in executive session about oil and gas on Sept. 27.The agenda item for the discussion said council members talked about the “TOP Operating Co. master contract, operational and regulatory issues (and the) city’s mineral and other property interests related to oil and gas development.”

The council members received legal advice from the city attorney’s office, determined negotiation positions and strategies and considered confidential documents, according to the agenda.

Executive sessions are closed to the public, but any formal actions stemming from those discussions must be taken in open session.

Negotiation strategies and legal advice are allowed in an executive session under the Colorado Open Meetings Act.

The council took no action in open session, but the decision to meet behind closed doors on the subject drew criticism from some community members who were involved in Longmont’s efforts to ban fracking.

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