Scranton City Council members said Tuesday they want a written report from the mayor about the city’s snowplowing response during the big snowstorm in late January.

The administration of Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti is preparing such a report for council, city Solicitor Jessica Eskra said Wednesday.

Regarding the administration attending an informal council caucus work session to discuss the city DPW’s response to the storm, the administration had offered instead to meet with council in an executive session, which is a private, closed-door meeting.

But council members said they do not want an executive session because it would be confidential and they would not be able to discuss publicly whatever was discussed there.

Councilman Sean McAndrew said at Tuesday’s meeting that last week he asked for “a physical document” of a post-storm report.

“We were told we were going to get one so we could learn from it, see what happened, see what steps were taken during and after the storm,” Sean McAndrew said. “We were told they would talk to us in executive session.”

An executive session could only be held regarding “litigation, real estate, personnel and security and safety,” Sean McAndrew said. “So I don’t know why they would suggest that, when we just want a report of what happened with the storm.”

Sean McAndrew then raised the idea of council possibly using its subpoena power in the future if council feels that the administration is not fully answering council questions. He asked council Solicitor Tom Gilbride to look into the council’s subpoena power and how the council could use it.

“Just so we can learn what the process is and what we would have to do to use it going forward, if we ever have to,” Sean McAndrew said. “I hope we never do, but just for learning, and for us to have the knowledge if we do have to use that.”

Council President Tom Schuster also said Gilbride had reached out to Eskra about a post-storm report and “they did offer that executive session.” Schuster said council would clarify that “we did not want an executive session but we did want the after-actions report that was promised to us” a few weeks ago.

Councilman Mark McAndrew added, “If the administration was to present to us the after-action report in the form of an executive session, we can’t discuss it outside of that room, or outside of that meeting. We can’t report that out to all of you.”

On Wednesday, The Times-Tribune asked the administration about the matter and Eskra replied via email: “To clarify, there is no statutory, regulatory or even traditional City document that we utilize called a ‘Post-Storm Report.’ That being said — I can confirm that the Administration is in the process of preparing an internal report about the handling of the snow emergency, which we will share with Council once finalized. In addition to referencing pertinent facts, we are considering making some recommendations relative to future handling of snow and other weather-related emergencies.”

The newspaper also asked about the reason for a potential executive session. Eskra said, “We do not and will not publicly discuss personnel issues. Those are deemed confidential and protected.”

At the Jan. 27 council meeting, council members and some residents gave mixed reviews about the plowing and removal of snow during the storm that dumped about 10.5 inches on the city on Sunday, Jan. 25, into early Monday, Jan. 26.

On Jan. 28, the administration told The Times-Tribune the city’s response was hampered by “callouts” of over one-third of Department of Public Works employees on each of Monday and Tuesday, and some choosing not to work overtime shifts.

“The labor contract for DPW does not require mandatory overtime from its employees. Of roughly 90 personnel, DPW had 40 staff members call off on Monday and 33 staff members call off on Tuesday,” city Business Administrator Eileen Cipriani had said on Jan. 28. “There has been limited participation in overtime shifts. We are grateful to the DPW staff members that have answered the call and gone above and beyond to keep our city safer.”