The Jefferson City Council will meet in person Monday for the first time in four months.
While government operations were considered essential in stay-at-home orders, council and other city meetings have been held virtually or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor Carrie Tergin said they chose to meet virtually to be an example for the city.
"We could have always met in person from the beginning," Tergin said. "However, we made the decision very early on to go virtual just to encourage others that, any time they can go virtual, that's our recommendation."
The council and city staff will meet Monday in the council chambers in City Hall but will sit farther apart than they did before to maintain social distancing.
Members of the public are allowed to attend in person, but Tergin said she would urge anyone who attends to maintain physical distance and wear a face mask - or participate remotely if possible.
Residents wishing to speak to council who don't want to attend in person will be able to call in at 404-397-1516.
"We would prefer people to be engaged, but if they can do it from the phone-in option, that would be great just to limit the number of people in as much as possible," Tergin said.
Residents can reach out to the council or mayor ahead of the meeting via email or phone. All council contacts can be found on the city's website.
While meeting virtually, council meetings were livestreamed on Facebook. This will not happen Monday, but the meeting will be streamed via JCTV as it was before the pandemic and will be available afterward on YouTube.
Tergin said they hope to find a way to livestream on Facebook while meeting in person but will not have the technology available Monday.
Making public meetings more accessible via virtual or remote options is something Tergin hopes to see continue even after social-distancing recommendations end.
The council is using this meeting as a test to see if future council meetings will be held in person, but they haven't yet established whether they will.
The Jefferson City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St. To view the council agenda, visit the city's website.