City of Alexandria, Virginia
MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 7, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consenting to a Declaration of Local Emergency for Tropical Depression IDA. (This item will be considered on the Roll-Call Consent Calendar)
BODY
ISSUE: Resolution consenting a Declaration of Local Emergency for Tropical Depression Ida.
RECOMMENDATION: Confirm the City Council’s consent to the City Manager signing the attached Declaration of Local Emergency with an earlier termination date of September 15, 2021, at 12:00 pm.
DISCUSSION: As a result of Tropical Storm Ida, on August 31, 2021, the Governor has issued an Executive Order Declaring a State of Emergency (Attachment 2). As the Director of Emergency Management designated in the City Code, I issued on September 1, 2021, a Declaration of Local Emergency (Attachment 1) so that the City was positioned to exercise emergency powers as enumerated in Section 44-146.21 of the Code of Virginia, and the Governor's Executive Order, to take advantage of any State or federal assistance that might become available. It is customary for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the federal government to require that a Declaration of Local Emergency be issued prior to either of these levels of government reimbursing a local government for emergency related expenses. At this point it is not known what aid may become available to localities, but having a Declaration put in place is in the City's interest for financial as well as emergency management reasons.
The City Code and State Law regarding declarations of local emergency require that the Declaration of Local Emergency be made by the Director of Emergency Services with the consent of the City Council. Such consent can be in the form of confirmation after the fact if the City Council cannot convene due to the emergency. The confirmation must be at the next regularly scheduled meeting, or a special meeting scheduled within 14 days of the declaration. Since the City Council legislative meeting is within 14 days of the declaration, we scheduled the confirmation for Council’s September 14 meeting rather than scheduling a special meeting. Given that the City experienced no material damage as a result of Hurricane Ida, it is now proposed that the declaration which was signed pre-Ida expire on September 15, 2021, at 12:00 pm.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Local Emergency Declaration
Attachment 2: Governor Northam's Executive Order 81 (August 31, 2021)
STAFF:
Corey Smedley, Fire/EMS Chief
Ray Whatley, Acting Emergency Management Coordinator