Politics & Government
City Of Minneapolis: City Council's Organizational Meeting Will Now Be Virtual
Monday's organizational meeting of the newly elected Minneapolis City Council will now be conducted virtually.
January 7, 2022
Monday’s organizational meeting of the newly elected Minneapolis City Council will now be conducted virtually.
Find out what's happening in Minneapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The decision to reschedule the meeting as a virtual event reflects concern about the potential spread or risk of exposure to COVID-19 variants. The omicron variant accounts for 68% of cases in Minnesota and is significantly more contagious than previously known variants. The Minneapolis Health Department signaled that the community transmission rate now exceeds 900 cases per 100,000 individuals, which puts the city in the high-risk area category associated with increased rates of positive test cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The organizational meeting of the Minneapolis City Council is subject to the open meeting law, and the City has determined that this and other City public meetings should continue to be conducted in a virtual environment to comply with the law and reduce the risk for exposure to COVID-19 and its variants. This aligns with the CDC guidance that the strongest defense against COVID is vaccination, proper use of face masks, good hand hygiene, avoiding crowded spaces and staying home when sick.
Find out what's happening in Minneapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Monday’s virtual meeting will follow the in-person inaugural ceremony for the mayor council members, and members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Strict COVID-19 protocols are in place for that event, including a requirement that all attendees be vaccinated and test negative for the virus.
After the inauguration, council members will meet virtually at 11:30 a.m. to elect a president and vice-president, make committee assignments, and set a schedule of regular meetings.
Both the inauguration and the virtual City Council meeting will be livestreamed on the City’s YouTube channel.
This press release was produced by the City of Minneapolis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
