Columbia City Council temporarily suspend normal operating procedures of City Council Meetings as COVID-19 precautionary measure

In the interest of public health, Mayor Steve Benjamin and the City of Columbia City Council have unanimously passed an emergency ordinance to suspend normal operating procedures of City Council Meetings. Due to the growing concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus, the following changes will take effective immediately: 

• The Mayor and three of the six members of City Council will physically attend meetings. The additional three members will participate via teleconference
• In lieu of physically attending City Council work sessions and meetings, citizens are strongly urged, out of an abundance of caution, to watch the live-stream which can be viewed at: www.columbiasc.gov and will be linked to all City of Columbia social media platforms.
  • Twitter: @CityofColumbia, Facebook: @CityofColumbiaGovernment, Instagram: @WeAreColumbia
  • During the public input section of the meeting, citizens may submit comments through the following link: http://columbiacitysc.iqm2.com
• Non-essential City Staff will be directed not to attend Council meetings

“City of Columbia leadership wants to lead by example and send a clear message that we can all follow. Public and private sector leaders, faith leaders, non-profits and individuals should be thoughtful about all of our actions at this time,” said Mayor Steve Benjamin. “We have decided to err on the side of caution, and encourage all across the community to do so as well.”