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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 <br />