CITY HALL – Meetings of the Board of Aldermen may soon move back from 29 home offices connected by Zoom to the board’s chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
Board President Lewis Reed announced at Friday’s board meeting that members would get emails later in the day about resuming in-person sessions. The emails will ask for comments and suggestions, Reed said.
“We want to make sure that everybody’s comfortable and ready to come back to in-person sessions,” Reed said.
Reed said a plan was being worked out with Board Clerk Terry Kennedy on a plan for reopening the meetings.
The board has been holding its full meetings by webinar since April 20 last year, after then-Mayor Lyda Krewson issued a stay-at-home order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Committee meetings also have been held by webinar since then.
The plan for reopening is being finalized.
“Our part of fleshing it out is assuring that we’ve had an opportunity to hear from all the members of the board so that we can make sure that many of the concerns that need to be addressed are addressed along the way,” Reed said.
Reed acknowledged with a smile that coming back to the aldermanic chambers might not be completely comfortable.
“You’ll have to leave the air-conditioned homes, and you get to come down to the full board and all of its heat because we have no air conditioning,” Reed said. Because of that, the board traditionally breaks for the summer in July.
