Minneapolis officials have announced that the City Council Chamber will shut its doors for the remainder of the year—sending meetings on a temporary relocation stint to the Public Service Center, as the historic hall undergoes a face-lift. According to a notice released by the City, this move is due to significant renovations expected at City Hall.
The shifting of venues will kick off with the City Council’s Organizational Meeting on January 8, set for 10 a.m. in Room 100 of the Public Service Building at 505 S. Fourth Ave. Here, officials will carve out the political landscape for the new term, taking decisive actions such as electing key officers and hammering out committee lineups. Post-organizational duties, further council, and committee discourses will transfer to Room 350 of the Public Service Center. Nevertheless, independent bodies with stakes in the Council Chamber's proceedings are scheduled to pivot to this same room starting January 22.
Prior engagements that would usually occupy the now-closed chamber have been relegated to Room 100 of the Public Service Building, including the Charter Commission’s meeting just a day into the new year, as well as the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission meetup, followed shortly by the Board of Estimate & Taxation on the tenth. The full schedule is accessible via the City’s Legislation Information Management System.
Adding a slight wrinkle to the accessibility of local governance, city officials have noted that due to equipment transitions, the live streams of meetings taking place before January 12 will not be broadcast on the usual website or cable channels. They have, however, made provisions for these sessions to be viewable on the City’s YouTube channel, ensuring uninterrupted public access to the civic proceedings.
