City Council will return to in-person meetings starting with tonight’s regular meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m.

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City Council meetings will be broadcast live on TV-34 and on the city’s website. Meetings of the Special Improvement District (SID) also will be in person, following the City Council meeting, but will not be broadcast. City Council earlier this year took over as the Downtown Management Corporation (DMC) of the SID, replacing the Rahway Arts and Business Partnership (RABP).

The board of the RABP used to meet about quarterly but City Council, as the DMC, now holds SID meetings each month, following their regular monthly meeting — typically the second Tuesday of the month.

The nine-member governing body has been meeting via Zoom since the pandemic was declared in March 2020. Mayor Ray Giacobbe, Jr. issued an executive order on March 16, 2020 closing City Hall, with some staff working staggered shifts, and employees who could work remotely working from home.  City Hall has since reopened to the public.

City Council used to hold a pre-conference meeting a week before its regular meeting but within the last year has eliminated that, combining its meetings into a single, regular meeting each month.

Other boards also have been holding their monthly meetings online since the pandemic began, including Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and the Redevelopment Agency. It’s unclear whether those meetings will be broadcast.

The pandemic also had put a brief halt to construction in spring 2020 after Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order in April “ceasing all non-essential construction projects.” The order has since been lifted.

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