Transcripts of closed hearings in which the Salt Lake County Council discussed buying the old First Security Bank tower will not be released.
The council voted 5-4 on Tuesday to keep the minutes sealed.
Councilman Joe Hatch proposed releasing minutes from three meetings to make clear why the county failed in its bid for the building on 400 S. Main in downtown Salt Lake City. The 12-story tower would have been used to house county attorneys and public defenders.
But Wasatch Property Management outbid the county for the tower, which was on the market for $8.5 million. The Logan-based company is now offering to construct a six-story building next door that would be sold to the county for $22 million. The new edifice and nearby parking areas would move the attorneys right next to the Matheson Courthouse.
Councilman Russell Skou- sen says officials say things in closed meetings that should stay sealed. Otherwise, he added, "everybody is going to be watching their backs" when they should be saying what is needed.
A council committee is reviewing plans for the new six-story building, which could be funded by taxpayers through a bond vote next year.
