As a response to rising COVID-19 infection rates, Mayor Steve Noble announced Tuesday that all city boards and commissions would return to virtual meetings.

The new rule will take effect immediately and continue until at least Jan. 15. The Kingston Common Council, meanwhile, is expected to vote tonight, Sept. 7, on whether to continue holding in-person meetings or return to virtual protocols established early in the pandemic.

Each month, City Hall plays host to about 20 meetings of city boards, commissions and the Common Council, as well as public hearings and special events. In March 2020, as part of a statewide emergency order, then-governor Andrew Cuomo announced the suspension of the state’s Open Meetings Law, which requires municipal meetings to be held in person and be accessible to the public.

Common Council President Andrea Shaut and City Clerk Elisa Tinti took on the task of developing for moderating and creating protocols for online meetings. In June, Cuomo allowed the emergency order to expire; in effect mandating a return to in-person meetings.

But this week, in response to a new surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the more contagious delta variant, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new emergency order clearing the way for a return to virtual meetings. The order allows for online meetings as long as proper notice is given to the public, the proceedings are recorded and electronic transcripts are made available.

While boards and commissions run by the city’s executive branch will begin virtual meetings immediately, Common Council President Andrea Shaut said she had been advised by city attorneys that the council would need to hold a vote on the issue. That vote will take place tonight when the council convenes in person for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

Shaut said she’d taken an informal poll of her fellow lawmakers which indicated support for a return to virtual meetings. Shaut added that she would support the move, citing consistency with the executive branch as well as safety concerns.

“If there are members of the council, or the public or staff that are uncomfortable with in-person meetings right now, then I would rather it be virtual,” said Shaut on Tuesday.