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Home My WebLink AboutPublic Meetings and Religious Observances Policy ☒City Council Approved: 3/20/2012 ☐City-Wide Revised: Click here to enter a date. ☐Department City of Edina Policy PUBLIC MEETINGS AND RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES Purpose It is the policy of the City of Edina to encourage public engagement during decision-making processes. This includes attending or participating in City Council and board/commission meetings. The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework for avoiding significant days of religious observance that may preclude participation. At the same time, the City acknowledges that it is not possible to recognize all days of religious observance without significantly impacting the City’s ability to conduct business or restricting participation by holding multiple public meetings at the same time. Restrictions for Public Meetings Due to Religious Observances In addition to the holidays on which city offices are closed, City Council and board/commission meetings will not be scheduled on the following days of religious observance that include significant work restrictions: • Good Friday (Christian) • Christmas Eve (Christian) • Evening before and day of Yom Kippur (Jewish) • Evening before and two days of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) • Evening before and first two days of Passover (Jewish) • Eid al Fitr (Muslim) • Eid al Adha (Muslim) • The third day of Diwali (Hindu) Special meetings called for emergency purposes would be exempt from this restriction. City staff and committee /working group chairs are also encouraged to avoid scheduling public meetings or other forums on these dates. Setting Meeting Schedules Prior to the start of a new year, the City Clerk will develop a calendar with the restricted dates noted above and identify any conflicts with regularly-scheduled meetings. When a conflict exists, the City Council and boards/commissions will be asked to identify an alternative date prior to the calendar being published at the beginning of the year. When setting the calendar, boards and commissions have the option of rescheduling additional meetings at the request of individual members due to conflicts with days of religious observance not included in the list above.