Members of the public will again be able to attend Victoria City Council meetings starting Tuesday at the City Council Chambers for the first time since the in-person meetings closed April 7 and were held over Zoom conference calls to protect the public, council members and City employees from exposure to COVID-19.
City officials are implementing measures to protect public health during council meetings in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Attendees will have their temperatures checked prior to entering the meeting room, and rows and seats will be blocked off in the audience area in order to increase distance between members of the public. Seating on the City Council dais also will be adjusted to promote physical distancing, and plexiglass partitions will be placed between officials.
If attendance exceeds the modified seating capacity of the council chambers, presenters and members of the public may be moved to an overflow space at City Hall.
Anyone who wishes to comment should fill out a speaking card located in the lobby entrance to the council chambers prior to the meeting. City staff will collect the comment cards, and Mayor Rawley McCoy will call those who have filled out cards to the podium one by one during the public comment period.
City Council meetings no longer will be broadcast through Zoom. Residents who wish to watch the meeting remotely may do so through the City’s television channel, Vtv15 (Suddenlink channels 15 and 115 and online at vtv15.live) or the City’s Facebook page at City of Victoria, Texas - Government. Residents are reminded that comments submitted through Facebook will not be addressed during the meeting.