The Morgan Hill City Council Wednesday night approved the proclamation of a local emergency in response to the ongoing PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff, which has resulted in the loss of electricity for thousands of local residents, closures of local businesses and non-functioning traffic signals.
City Hall amended the Oct. 9 meeting agenda to include the emergency proclamation at the beginning of the special council meeting.
Below is the text of the proclamation approved by the council Wednesday night:
WHEREAS, Chapter 2.44 of the Morgan Hill Municipal Code provides for a Civil Disaster and Emergency Organization; and
WHEREAS, the declared purposes of Chapter 2.44 are to provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for the protection of persons and property within the City of Morgan Hill (the “City”) in the event of an emergency; and
WHEREAS, on October 8, 2019 the City Manager, as Director of Emergency Services, was apprised of a planned public safety power shutoff that was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on October 9, 2019 that jeopardized the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the City and exceeded the ability of City resources alone to respond to these conditions; and
WHEREAS, at 10:00 a.m. on October 8, 2019, the Director of Emergency Services, pursuant to Morgan Hill Municipal Code Section 2.44.070, proclaimed the existence of a local emergency within the City; and
WHEREAS, these emergency conditions are expected to continue into the near future.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MORGAN HILL DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE, RESOLVE, AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Recitals. The City Council does hereby find, determine, and resolve that all of the foregoing recitals are true and correct.
Section 2. Approval and Authorization. The City Council does further resolve, order, and/or direct as follows:
a. That the Proclamation of existence of a local emergency, as issued by the Director of Emergency Services, is hereby ratified and confirmed as well as all actions, including, but not limited to, the entering into of contracts by the City pursuant to the proclamation of local emergency; and
b. That the local emergency is hereby continued and that during the existence of said local emergency, the powers, functions, and duties of the Director of Emergency Services and the emergency organization of the City shall be those prescribed by 1.a Packet Pg. 7 Attachment: MHPGEPSPS100919-Resolution (2504 : Local Emergency Proclamation) state law, ordinances, and resolutions of the City Council and by the City’s Emergency Operations Plan; and
c. That the Emergency Services Coordinator, or his/her designee, continues to be designated as the authorized representative of the City for public and individual assistance of the City of Morgan Hill for the purpose of receipt, processing, and coordination of all inquiries and requirements necessary to obtain available state and federal assistance.
Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption and remain in effect until such time as it is terminated by the City Council of the City of Morgan Hill.
