Iowa City City Council meetings will return to Emma J. Harvat Hall in April
After almost a year of Iowa City City Council meetings being held in the Assembly Room at the Senior Center, meetings will be returning to Emma J. Harvat Hall next month.
City councillor Shawn Harmsen speaks at an Iowa City City Council meeting at the Senior Center in Iowa City on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022.
March 22, 2022
The Iowa City City Council meetings will return to council chambers in City Hall as COVID-19 cases decrease in Johnson County.
Johnson County Community Health Division Manager Sam Jarvis reported to the council on Tuesday that daily COVID-19 case counts in the county have been in the single digits.
The council transitioned to the Assembly Room in the Senior Center in July 2021 following virtual meetings during the first year of the pandemic. The Assembly Room accommodates social distancing better than City Hall’s chambers.
Currently, the council offers a virtual option for the public to attend its meetings after a staff and community recommendation allowed them to do so.
The Senior Center expressed the need to use the Assembly Room for other programs.
“I thank the hospitality of the Senior Center for a very long time, and I’m very appreciative,” Councilor Janice Weiner said.
Meetings will start at Emma J. Harvat starting on April 19. The upcoming two city council meetings will not be held at City Hall due to set public hearings that need to be held at the Senior Center.