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CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM 1N <br />STAFF ORIGINATOR: Sarah Cotton, City Administrator <br />MEETING DATE: June 12, 2023 <br />TOPIC: Establishing Juneteenth as a Recognized City Holiday <br />VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5 <br />INTRODUCTION <br />The City Council is being asked to consider Resolution No. 23-57, Establishing Juneteenth as a <br />Recognized City Holiday. <br />BACKGROUND <br />June 19 is designated Juneteenth in recognition of the historical pronouncement of the abolition <br />of slavery on June 19, 1865, when the Emancipation Proclamation was said to have been read <br />publicly for the first time to Union Soldiers who were led by General Gordon Granger in Texas. <br />The announcement came 2.5 years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation <br />Proclamation. Juneteenth and emancipation celebrations have been commonplace in Minnesota <br />since 1889 as a result of community-based grassroots efforts. <br />A bill to establish Juneteenth as a state-recognized holiday was signed into law by Governor Tim <br />Walz in February 2023. The new law was set to go into effect on August 1, 2023; however, a <br />provision contained within the state and local government omnibus bill, changes the effective <br />date to make the new holiday effective June 19th of this year. <br />Per Minnesota State Statute, no public business shall be transacted on any holiday, except in <br />cases of necessity and except in cases of public business transacted by the legislature, nor shall <br />any civil process be served thereon. <br />Juneteenth is not yet recognized as an official City holiday, and to do so requires City Council <br />action. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Staff recommends approval of Resolution No. 23-57, Establishing Juneteenth as a Recognized <br />City Holiday. <br />ATTACHMENTS <br />Resolution No. 23-57