Aiken City Council is expected to pick its final three candidates for the city manager's seat in an executive session on Thursday.
The private session, held in the Municipal Building's room 204, between Council members and staff will be held following a public work session at 3 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 214 Park Ave.
In the public work session, Council and staff will discuss improvements to the City's Administration and Finance Building, the investment plan for City funds and the budget.
Council is allowed to enter into executive session if it involves hiring, firing or discipline of an employee, including the discussion of contract negotiations.
But to vote, Council members must leave their executive session and hold a public vote in Council Chambers.
If the Council does indeed pick three finalists or chooses a new city manager, it is required by law to release the names and information regarding those finalists.
Council, meeting with hired firm Slavin Management Consultants and City Attorney Gary Smith, met in private Saturday to interview what interim City Manager Roger LeDuc called five "semifinalists" for the city manager position - a position left open after former City Manager Richard Pearce resigned in June 2014.
Following the executive session, Council confirmed publicly that it interviewed five applicants but would not take any action.
According to South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act, "all materials, regardless of form, gathered by a public body during a search to fill an employment position, except that materials relating to not fewer than the final three applicants under consideration for a position, must be made available for public inspection and copying. In addition to making available for public inspection and copying the materials described in this item, the public body must disclose, upon request, the number of applicants considered for a position."
The FOI Act continues, "For the purpose of this item 'materials relating to not fewer than the final three applicants' do not include an applicant's income tax returns, medical records, social security number, or information otherwise exempt from disclosure by this section."
The state's FOIA laws can be found at www.scpress.org.
Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.