The City of Soldotna voted to pass an ordinance that would repeal the disaster emergency declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pursuant to state statute, the city manager on March 19th, as the principal executive officer of the city, issued a disaster emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the same day, Council extended the declaration. It’s since been extended multiple times.
Mayor Paul Whitney:
“My report is, I think we’ve come to the time like most communities in the state and including the state that it’s time to end the declaration. Things are starting to, at least, get some get some semblance of normal life going on so, I think it’s time for this to go away.”
City Manager Stephanie Queen was asked by council member Lisa Parker if the City Manager would still have the power to enact an emergency should a potential case spike occur:
“No, the executive authority that was granted via the initial disaster declaration would terminate with the end of the disaster declaration. Those executive powers were used infrequently and really, at the beginning of this emergency. There has not been a need really for many months for me to act quicker than within the normal processes of the council. So, yes, to answer your question, it would terminate, and that’s not a matter that concerns me greatly at this point.”
According to corresponding documents, the definition of a ‘disaster emergency’ in accordance with state statute means that the condition declared by the principal executive officer generated the need for the disaster emergency declaration. The City Manager determined that, after declaring it, and further extending it, that conditions no longer meet the definition of a disaster.
Ordinance 2021-011 passed the Soldotna City Council on a 5-1 vote.