City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba, whose first day of work was Feb. 1, is bringing some changes to city government.

One that has become evident is the return of the City Council work session.

The traditional practice of the City Council had been to do much of the council’s business in work sessions, which are official meetings of the City Council and therefore open to the public.

However, the current City Council elected in 2017, for much of its now extended term in office, has chosen to do the work of the council in small group meetings.  Work sessions have been routinely canceled or, if held, were curtailed to the point that there was not sufficient time for in depth discussion much less decision making.

Small group meetings involve less than a majority of the City Council, up to four councilmembers, and are not public meetings.  Councilmembers who were not invited to participate in the small group meetings often complained about not having sufficient information about items when they appeared on the agenda for a vote.

It appears that under the direction of Jaiyeoba, the City Council is going to return to doing the business of the city in work sessions, with the main difference being that – at least for the foreseeable future – work sessions will be held virtually.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan said that she prefers virtual work sessions because they were more accessible to the public than the traditional work sessions held in the Plaza Level Conference Room, which were open to the public but not broadcast on the city’s website or on the Greensboro Television Network.

The City Council currently has virtual work sessions scheduled for Thursday, April 7, Thursday, April 14 and Thursday, April 28, all beginning at 2 p.m.

The agenda for the Thursday, April 7 meeting includes an American Rescue Plan (ARP) update and a financial policies update.

The presentations for those updates have not been posted.