Finally, the public is invited back inside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center

The public will be allowed back inside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center next week, a city spokesman announced Thursday afternoon.

It’s another key return to post-pandemic normalcy for the Charlotte area, with 46% of Mecklenburg County now at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, according to state public health data.

Charlotte City Council members will gather in their usual conference room for Monday afternoon’s strategy session — not in the larger council chamber. That means seating will be limited for the public and reporters, though the chamber will be used for overflow space and rely on a video feed from Room 267, city spokesman Cory Burkarth said.

County commissioners also will welcome back the public and media to their next board meeting, County Manager Dena Diorio announced earlier this week.

There are safe ways to hold public meetings and not “unnecessarily restrict people,” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told a City Council committee on Thursday. Coronavirus metrics have shown significant improvement recently due to rising vaccination rates, she said.

“We still have virus in our community — there’s no way around that,” Harris said. “It’s just not as prevalent as it was.”

COVID, building protocols

Burkarth said the Government Center is not fully open throughout the week just yet, even as social distancing and masking requirements ease across North Carolina and coronavirus trends dramatically improve.

But all City Council meetings — including strategy sessions, zoning hearings and business meetings — will be open to the public, Burkarth said. Committee meetings, for now, are not open to in-person attendance.

The Government Center will open 30 minutes prior to the start of Council meetings and close 15 minutes after they adjourn.

All council meetings will continue to be live-streamed on the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages, plus the Gov Channel.

Fully vaccinated people are not required to wear a mask inside the Government Center, though they can choose to do so, Burkarth said. Unvaccinated people should still wear a mask and social distance.

Parking is free at the Government Center’s garage at 232 S. Davidson St.

Visitors and news reporters have not been allowed inside the Government Center since last spring, when the first coronavirus cases were detected in the state.

Until recently, most meetings — including for the Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners — have taken place virtually or in hybrid settings, with only some officials attending in person.

Throughout the pandemic, technical glitches have persistently accompanied heated, consequential discussions for the region, including about police reform, racial equity and coronavirus restrictions.

Rules for remote meetings

City-owned buildings have been upgraded with bipolar ionization technology, Burkarth told the Observer last month. It’s a new type of air cleaner designed to filter out viruses, including SARS-2-CoV, though it could generate ozone and other harmful byproducts indoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

City employees are not required to get vaccinated — and there’s no incentive, for now, for them to get their shots. Vaccine shots for county employees aren’t mandated either, Diorio said, though a recent survey suggested as many 70% are or plan to be immunized.

The reopening of the Government Center comes as elected officials grapple with the future of remote meeting rules as Gov. Roy Cooper’s state-of-emergency order lifts. Prior to the pandemic and the increased use of virtual meeting technology, in-person attendance was expected of officials, city and county attorneys have said.

County commissioners this week once again tabled their discussion on the topic, as Democrat Ella Scarborough comes under mounting scrutiny for not joining her colleagues in person. Throughout May, commissioners denied her request to participate remotely, though Scarborough did receive permission Tuesday as the board adopted a $2 billion budget for the incoming fiscal year.

Earlier Thursday, during a Budget and Effectiveness Committee meeting, City Council member Malcolm Graham said it’s time to resume conducting city business directly before the public.

“I am adamant that we are to move in that direction as quickly as possible with safeguards along the way,” Graham said.

But council member Renee Johnson asked her colleagues to consider broadening remote participation rules to bolster access for both officials and residents.

“The technology is there, and I say we can’t close the door on that option,” Johnson said.

This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 5:42 PM.