Politics & Government

Council to Meet in Public on ARA Legal Battle

Sources say the meeting was originally supposed to be a closed session.

It appears City Solicitor Robert Mangiaratti and the Attleboro City Council will discuss in public. The agenda for the session scheduled to take place at on Monday at 7 p.m. states, "City Solicitor Robert Mangiaratti to appear before the council." It does not specify he will talk about the recent court decision, but it is widely known that this will be the topic.

Sources say the meeting was supposed to take place behind closed doors in an executive session, as most discussions of legal matters do, but some councilors demanded the meeting take place in public.

A Bristol County Superior Court judge ruled last week that the state Civil Service Commission was correct when . The judge ordered the ARA to reinstate Michael Milanoski as executive director and Meg Ross as chief financial officer and for them to receive back pay, including benefits and interest accumulated since November 2009.

Find out what's happening in Attleborowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Colin Confoey, attorney for Milanoski and Ross, estimated his clients are owed at least $600,000.

Mangiaratti wrote in a statement last week that the court's decision includes "several legal issues that would be the basis for an appeal." The ARA board must decide whether to file an appeal, but at least some city councilors would probably want to have input since the outcome of this case could have a financial impact on the city.

Find out what's happening in Attleborowith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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