In-person County Council meetings resume Tuesday

Richland County Council will resume in-person meetings with new safety protocols beginning with a special called meeting Tuesday, July 13.

Meetings have been held remotely since March 2020, when County facilities were closed in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The County will follow safety protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Tuesday’s meeting, inside Council Chambers on the second floor of the County Administration Building, 2020 Hampton St., Columbia.

Signage will remind attendees of the CDC protocols, and capacity for the chambers will be limited to allow for proper physical distancing. In addition, all surfaces will be sanitized before meetings, and afterward the chambers will be deep cleaned using an electrostatic treatment application. The County has installed temporary protective shields on the Council dais, presenter podiums and staff work tables.

Attendees will be required to:

• wear a mask or face covering while inside the building
• undergo a temperature check before entering the chambers
• distance themselves from others in the audience gallery who are not members of the same household or workgroup

As normal practice, members of the public attending in person are invited to speak during the citizen input portion of meetings.

Attendees should enter via the Administration Building’s front entrance at Hampton and Harden streets. Parking remains accessible via the large parking lot off Lady Street, as well as via nearby street parking.

To allow more residents to attend in person, departmental-level staff will attend meetings remotely.

Council meetings will continue to stream live on Richland County’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Visit the County’s website: www.richlandcountysc.gov, to view the schedule and agendas of upcoming meetings.