WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Woonsocket planning director Michael Debroisse has retired after a report last week alleged he knowingly violating city law when he helped push through a controversial $1.1 million land deal.

Debroisse, who's retiring after over three decades with the city, was a focus of the 141-page report by former Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman, who was hired by the City Council to investigate the deal.

In a brief interview Monday, Debroisse said he appreciated his nearly 35-year career with the city, which he described as a successful one. He declined to comment on the land deal or the investigation.

The report indicated Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt and Debroisse “appear to have knowingly violated Woonsocket legal provisions that were specifically put in place to ensure that all large dollar amount transactions are, truly, in the best interests of the citizens of Woonsocket.”

Current Mayor Christopher Beauchamp said Friday that Debroisse had taken a personal day, and the mayor had scheduled a Monday meeting with the planning director to discuss his future employment with the city.

“We’re all human beings, we all have families,” Beauchamp said last week. “I’m a compassionate guy, but if you screwed up, it is what it is.”

On Monday, Beauchamp said they ended up having a "hard conversation," and Debroisse ultimate decided to retire. The mayor said he suspected Debroisse didn't want "any more grief" for his connection to the land deal, and Beauchamp lauded the director for his long career with the city.

"We're moving on," Beauchamp said.

Beauchamp has been serving as mayor since Baldelli-Hunt abruptly resigned from the job in November. Her resignation came just two weeks after Target 12 first reported she'd used $1.1 million in city-controlled federal funds so Woonsocket could purchase five acres of vacant land from her former boss, Raymond Bourque. Baldelli-Hunt cited health reasons when stepping down.

Weisman's report showed how Baldelli-Hunt wanted the city to buy the Mendon Road property so badly that she kept the deal secret from her staff and the City Council, which is legally required to sign off on any city transaction exceeding $100,000.

She also negotiated the price tag directly with Bourque and agreed to the $1.1 million without seeking any type of outside assessment. The city had assessed the five acres at less than $200,000, and City Hall staffers said they feared losing their jobs if they told anyone about the deal, according to the report.

Based on an interview with Debroisse, Weisman said, “It was clear to him that only the mayor was to reach out to other city department heads, the City Council, and others; had he done so, his position with the city could have been jeopardized.”

As a result of his investigation, Weisman said, "it is reasonable to conclude that, per direction of Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, Director Debroisse's failure to comply with what he knew to be the legal requirement of obtaining City Council acquiescence and approval was not an indeliberate one."

Baldelli-Hunt didn't cooperate with the investigation.

Beauchamp said Monday he'd be "evaluating the future leadership structure of the Planning Department," and he expressed a commitment to ensuring operations wouldn't be disrupted.

Debroisse's last day was Aug. 4.