In the State of Massachusetts, M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Sections 18-25 state all governmental bodies must have meetings that are open to the public and readily available to anyone who wishes to attend.
The Massachusetts Open Meeting Law applies to governmental entities at the state and local levels. In general the Law requires that meetings of such entities be open to the public, that notice of such meetings be publicly posted at least 48 hours prior to a meeting (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays and except in an emergency) and that accurate records of the meeting be kept and made available to the public.
OneMeeting
New Public Meeting Portal!
As of July 2025, all current/upcoming agendas, archived meeting minutes, and the list of pending items are now available through our partner OneMeeting. Residents can now access and engage with council items, actions, and minutes like never before. Archived agendas and minutes are currently available going back to 2021, with older archived files added on an ongoing basis. For meeting materials prior to this time period, please submit a Public Records Request.
New Public Meeting Communications & Training Materials
Item Search
You may search the City Council and City Council Standing Committee agenda items by entering a search term. You will be redirected to the City of Worcester's OneMeeting Item Search Portal with the search results displayed.
If preferred, you may search the City of Worcester's OneMeeting portal directly. Please use the general 'Text Search' box or choose from the 'Advanced Search' dropdown.
Historical Meeting Videos
As of July 2025, all current meeting videos will be available through our partner OneMeeting. Meeting videos are immediately available for on-demand access.
Additionally, historical meeting videos will be added to the portal on an ongoing basis. Archived videos will continue to reside here until the migration is complete.
June 30, 2025
June 26, 2025
June 26, 2025
June 26, 2025
Standing Committee on Public Safety
June 24, 2025
June 24, 2025
Public Notice - Virtual Meetings
Pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021 and in order to ensure active, public engagement, the City of Worcester currently allows for both in-person and remote participation at all City Council and Standing Committee meetings. To partake in the "Public Participation" section of this meeting, you may attend the meeting in-person within the meeting location, or to join via the Virtual Application follow the link or dial the direct phone line and access code as indicated on the meeting agenda.
Petition the City Council
An individual may petition the City Council on a wide range of topics including the condition of streets and sidewalks, street lighting, public safety, housing, zoning, taxation, traffic, parking and many others.
Equal Access to Public Meetings
All City sponsored public meetings and hearings must be held in locations that are accessible to people with disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs.
Persons with disabilities are invited to make their needs known to Department/Division hosting the public meeting by should they need:
- Auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, or
- Written materials in alternative formats, or
- Reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access programs and activities of the City of Worcester.
How Will the City of Worcester Assist an LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Person?
Through a partnership with Language Line Solutions, City employees have access to telephonic and face to face interpreters in 90 different languages.
For more information concerning a meeting, please contact the Department/Division hosting the meeting by email or phone. Please send written comments and requests for reasonable accommodation 2 business days or more in advance of the meeting. Requests for language interpretation must be made 10 business days or more in advance of the meeting. While boards and commissions do their best to accommodate you, certain accommodations may not be available if requested within short notice to the scheduled meeting. Requests for American Sign Language interpretation must be made 10 business days or more in advance of the meeting.
Rules of Public Participation in City Council Meetings
At every meeting of the City Council, under the "public participation" portion of the agenda, the chair shall recognize any person seeking such recognition for the purpose of addressing the council on any eligible item on the agenda for that meeting both in person and remotely. Any person who wishes to speak on more than one agenda item shall combine their testimony on all items to one appearance at the microphone. The time for speaking shall not exceed two minutes for any one speaker or thirty (30) minutes for all speakers. See attached flyer for the full Rules of Public Participation.
City of Worcester Statement of Inclusivity
The City of Worcester recognizes the rights of all individuals to participate in the political and civic life free from bigotry and intimidation based on their race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other aspect of their being. As civic leaders we do not condone or approve of unwanted, unwelcome and inappropriate language, bigotry, hate, epithets, profanity, etc. that interferes with a standard of conduct that promotes respectful, inclusive and civic engagement in all City Council Meetings and Public Forums.
Informing Worcester
If preferred, you may search the City of Worcester's open data portal, Informing Worcester, to review data from City Council meetings from 2020 to the present. Please see the following guide for how to use the available information to further the City Council's items and their outcomes.
Video-on-Demand
Worcester's Government Channel replays City Council and Standing Committee meetings during the week following each meeting. For added convenience, past meetings can also be viewed online.
Contact Information
Address
City Clerk
City Hall Room 206
455 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
Contact
Phone: 508-799-1121
Fax: 508-799-1194
Email Us
Hours
Monday
8:45 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Tuesday - Friday
8:45 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.