05-25 Resolution No. 11856RESOLUTION NO. 11856
A RESOLUTION TERMINATING THE LOCAL EMERGENCY
WHEREAS, on March 16, 2020, the Mayor issued a Proclamation declaring a
local emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
WHEREAS, on the same day, the City Council exercised its authority under
Minnesota Statutes, section 12.29 to adopt Resolution No. 11728 to extend the local
emergency "until further action of the City Council";
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") and the
State of Minnesota on May 13, 2021 and May 14, 2021, respectively, issued guidance
that face masks are no longer necessary for fully -vaccinated individuals, although the
statewide emergency declared by the Governor remains in place in order to wind down
certain emergency measures; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds and determines as follows:
a. The declaration of a local emergency allows a city to implement local
emergency operations plans and to access certain emergency powers to
meet, enter into contracts, and raise funds without having to follow typical
procedures to allow it to rapidly respond to the emergency;
b. Given that the local emergency related to the pandemic has extended for
more than one year, the need for a rapid response using emergency powers
is no longer necessary;
c. The initial uncertainties associated with the pandemic, the potential need for a
local emergency response, and the possibility a local declaration would be
required to be eligible for federal or state relief funds made the declaration of
a local emergency appropriate;
d. Now that the local emergency related to the pandemic has existed for more
than a year, the City has learned how to continue its work without having to
rely on emergency plans or the exercise of emergency powers;
e. The City will remain bound by the statewide emergency and the Governor's
emergency orders regardless of whether a local emergency remains in place;
f. While the pandemic remains a public health risk, the increased availability of
vaccines has caused the number and severity of cases to continue to drop;
Resolution No. 11856
g. The CDC issued guidance that fully -vaccinated people no longer need to
wear face masks and the Governor lifted the statewide mask mandate on
May 14, 2021; and
h. It is no longer necessary to continue the local emergency as the City can and
will continue to respond to the pandemic without having to rely on local
emergency operations plans or emergency powers.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Richfield City Council as
follows:
The local emergency declared by the Mayor's Proclamation on March 16,
2020 and extended by City Council Resolution No. 11728 is terminated,
effective immediately.
2. Resolution No. 11728 is hereby repealed.
3. The City shall continue its work to resume normal operations as soon as
possible and in compliance with the state's diminishing COVID-19 restrictions.
4. This Resolution will be given prompt and general publicity and filed in
accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 12.29.
Adopted by the Richfield City Council this 25t" day of May, 2021.
Maria Regan Gonzalez, Mayor
ATTEST:
Kari Sinning, Acting City Clerk
Resolution No. 11856