City panels returning.

San Antonio City Council committees will restart in June and pick up where a cadre of city-county working groups tasked with responding to the COVID-19 crisis left off said Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

“As we work to balance recovery efforts with our region’s ongoing health response, it’s critical that we utilize the opportunity before us to set a course toward a stronger, more resilient and equitable future — better ‘normal’ — for San Antonio,” Nirenberg told council members in a memo sent Thursday afternoon.

Nirenberg suspended the usual council committees at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, saying the usual committee process was too slow to deal with the immediate crisis. Instead, he and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff named five working groups made up of council members, county commissioners, business leaders and others to pinpoint how to respond to the pandemic and ensuing economic fallout.

Now, as those groups wrap up their work by the end of the month, Nirenberg said the council committees can resume — with a few tweaks.

The most drastic change: the council’s intergovernmental relations committee, which oversees the city’s lobbying efforts and tracks legislative developments, will now include two county commissioners — Justin Rodriguez and Kevin Wolff.

In that committee, the city and county will work together to bring home federal dollars and track policies that could benefit the region as the recovery begins, Nirenberg said. One of the joint working groups helped secure federal stimulus dollars under the CARES Act for the city and county, which respectively received $270 million and $80 million.

“Throughout this crisis, we’ve proved that we’re stronger together,” Nirenberg said.

Many of the pre-existing council committees will stay as they were but with the additional tasks of responding to COVID-19 issues and building on what the working groups did.

Economic and workforce development, led by District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, will focus on education, job training and workforce development as the city gets back to work and those who lost their jobs seek new ones.

Nirenberg added a small business subcommittee to hook businesses up with supplies such as face coverings and hand sanitizer they need to protect employees and customers as the businesses reopen.

Innovation and tech — chaired by District 8 Councilman Manny Peláez — will focus on how to improve internet access for poorer households so all students, seniors and health workers “have the technology necessary to stay informed and continue their education,” Nirenberg said.

Nirenberg tasked the Culture and Neighborhood Services Committee, headed by District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño, to focus on housing availability and affordability and to consider expanding or creating programs aimed at giving financial stability to vulnerable populations and creating affordable housing stock.

Community health and equity committee, chaired by District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, will oversee the city’s public health response to COVID-19 including how to implement recommendations handed down by a panel of local health experts to increase testing and contact tracing investigations.

Three other committees — public safety, planning and land development, and transportation and mobility — will stay on pause for now.

Committees will meet virtually when they start up again in June.