City Council to continue remote access to meetings amid reopening plan

This week, the City Council voted and passed a Home Rule Petition for a Special Law regarding an Act concerning the operations of the Boston City Council.

The approaching end of the state of emergency on June 15, 2021, and the expiration of Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020, Executive Order suspending certain Open Meeting Law requirements, will require the City Council and its committees to hold public hearings and working sessions in person.

With the amount of hearings that the City Council holds, the limited time frame between hearings and meetings, and the members of the public and staff that will be attending and congregating in an indoor space, it may be difficult for the City to properly sanitize the hearing rooms and will impede City Council operations if hearings need to be held on certain days in order to accommodate safety protocols while ensuring the safety of staff and the public.

With the passage of this Act, the City Council will be allowed to conduct its committee hearings, working sessions, and meetings remotely, in a hybrid format, or in-person, pursuant to the discretion of the Chair.