Pierce Today

City of Tacoma recently issued the following announcement.

The City Council approved two motions on Tuesday regarding official City of Tacoma in-person meetings. The first motion terminated Emergency Rule No. 4 related to official City of Tacoma in-person meetings being held in a virtual format only and the second motion confirmed Emergency Rule No. 5 related to re-instituting official City of Tacoma in-person meetings to create a hybrid format.

Effective Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, the City Council and Public Utility Board will have the option to hold public meetings in a hybrid format to include:

• City Council meetings
• Study Session meetings
• Council Retreat meetings
• Public Utility Board meetings
• Special Meetings of the City Council

  Working in coordination with Emergency Management staff, the City Manager and the Public Utilities Director will establish appropriate protocols to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 at these public meetings.

"I appreciate the discussion and recommendations of the Government Performance and Finance Committee (GPFC) that provided the guidance for returning to in-person public meetings in hybrid format," said Council Member John Hines and Chair of GPFC. "While virtual meetings provide a great forum for communication they are not great for dialogue.  As we move forward with policy conversations regarding housing, safety, and the environment this year, it is critical for us to have opportunities to engage with each other and the public face to face."

The Mayor and Council will continue to monitor national COVID-19 trends, including new variants, and when needed, discuss at Study Session whether to return to virtual-only meetings or remain in a hybrid format. Any Council Member or Public Utility Board Member may request that the topic be discussed or revisited at a public meeting.

“After almost two years meeting virtually, I felt it is the right time to begin meeting in person as an elected body to address the important issues of our community face to face,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “Virtual meetings have allowed more people to engage with their government than ever before, and we want to continue to provide that accessibility to the public. As we settle into our new hybrid meeting format, we will continue to adjust to ensure we are physically present and are providing easy virtual access.”

At this time, the following public meetings will remain in a virtual-only format:

• Standing Council Committees
• Committees, Boards, and Commissions

Agendas, archived recordings and access details for City Council meetings, Study Session meetings and standing Council Committee meetings are available at cityoftacoma.legistar.com.

Original source can be found here.