Cambridge City Council Meeting of March 16, 2020 to be held via Remote Participation

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City of Cambridge Issues Further Directions for City Council Meetings and Other Public Bodies, Boards, and Commission

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale announced that effective Friday, March 13 through April 30, 2020, all non-essential public meetings of the City of Cambridge are canceled. Today, the City of Cambridge announces further amendments to the policy and directions for City Council meetings and other public bodies, boards and commissions, and quasi-judicial public bodies.

“The City is working to ensure that critical services will continue to be delivered to the public. These temporary changes to Cambridge’s public meeting procedures will allow the City Council and other boards and commissions to operate safely and openly by instituting these social distancing practices. I encourage the public to check Cambridgema.gov/COVID19 regularly to keep informed of important Cambridge information,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale.

Beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, meetings will no longer be conducted in a public place that is open and physically accessible to the public or to applicants; however, meetings will be accessible to the public remotely and will allow for participation by the public through alternative means.
City Hall will be closed to the public as of 5 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2020. The regular meeting of the City Council on Monday March 16, 2020 will be held using remote participation.

The public is strongly encouraged to submit written testimony/comments because there will be no in-person public comment at the City Council meeting. People may submit written testimony/comments until noon on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 to the City Clerk at: www.cambridgema.gov/remotepubliccomment

Public comment will also be available electronically via ZOOM teleconferencing for the City Council Meeting of Monday, March 16, 2020. The public comment period begins at 5:30 p.m. Participation by phone or computer can be found at https://zoom.us/j/9246600496. Instructions on using ZOOM technology will be posted on the City’s Open Meeting Portal.

“Given the current public health crisis, these operational adjustments are necessary to protect the general public and to be able to transact necessary business for the time being. We appreciate the public’s patience as we navigate through this together,” said Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui.

The City of Cambridge’s Temporary Emergency Restrictions on City Public Meetings, City Events, and City Permitted Events Due to COVID-19 can be found on the City of Cambridge’s website at https://www.cambridgema.gov/PublicMeetings.