I'd like to hear thoughts from non-moderator community members perhaps regarding this and their take knowing all the detail and perspective as I wrote about below regarding the justification of the closure of the question with the fairly accurate timelines as I describe giving or taking some as I mentioned—what would the community consider fair in these instances?
I was the user who initially flagged the question to be closed. Once the bounty was offered, I eventually flagged the question to be reviewed by a moderator, which resulted in the bounty being refunded, the question closed, and eventually, the question improved to a point where the question was reopened by the community. However, I still feel the question, is asking for a software recommendation (since the author's problem cannot be solved without third-party software).
So, after a question that lingered around for a few days with no community or moderator criticism in a comment and with no close votes, the OP placed a bounty.
I believe I issued my close vote before the bounty was offered, I believe when I saw the bounty, I flagged it for a moderator to handle. Since the only way a bounty can be refunded in a case like this is with a moderator to get involved. I have often seen, a bounty used, to prevent a question from being closed by the community.
Afterwards a community member placed a close vote on it and then the moderator left the link comments, and then let's say 24 hours after that the same moderator just closed it with only the same one community member's vote.
Once a bounty is offered, a question cannot receive close votes, until the bounty is removed or expires. Which is the reason I believe I issue my close vote before the bounty was offered, and the reason, I believe I flagged for a moderator to review after a bounty was started.
To my surmise when checked on the status, the bounty was gone, post closed, etc. I left a few comments or whatever and then edited the post myself letting everyone including the OP know what I did and how I think this makes people feel, etc.
You improved the title. However, only a moderator took the steps, to remove the meta discussion that should have never existed in the first place. I should have never made the comment in the first place, which was the direct cause the meta discussion that happened, although a different meta discussion might have been added (due to a downvote without a comment) but I wouldn't have caused it.
The following is the flag I issued if anyone is wondering, and it was accepted, as being helpful. Although unless a flag is declined, it's helpful so that doesn't really mean anything.
The question is seeking a software recommendation has received two software recommendations, and now there is a bounty on the question.