Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The City of Warren Municipal Building reopened to the public — with a mask requirement — for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

The City of Warren Municipal Building has reopened to the public.

Closed for the last couple months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, City Manager Nancy Freenock said the facility was reopened on Tuesday “but visitors are required to wear masks.”

While the city building is open again, city operations look a little different.

As a result of the virus, three positions in the Codes Department were eliminated as the office was restructured.

Freenock said when the decision was announced those changes were “done purely for financial reasons.”

“As a direct result of the significant number of layoffs, furloughs and job terminations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the city’s Earned Income Tax revenue will be diminished for an indeterminate amount of time,” Freenock projected. “Difficult decisions have been, and will continue to be, made as we all work through these unprecedented circumstances.”

One quarter of the city’s total budget comes from Earned Income Tax (EIT) revenue and it will be months before the full effect of the pandemic on the city’s financial picture can be realized.

The city, Freenock explained earlier this month, is trying to balance “essential services” with “steps to curtail expenses…. The Code Department was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.”