Agenda Packets - 2020/03/23 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Who declares an emergency? Local Authority The mayor has the authority to declare a local emergency, which activates the city's emergency management and response plan. This is done via a proclamation. Each city should review their respective plans and understand when it is appropriate to declare an emergency. A local emergency cannot last longer than three days, unless extended by the city council (Minn. Stat. 12.29). A proclamation by a mayor and a council extension of an emergency by resolution can happen simultaneously. Declaring a local emergency allows cities to perform certain actions to respond to an emergency situation without following certain procedures. Examples include entering into contracts, incurring obligations, renting equipment, and employing temporary workers. More detailed procedures regarding emergency -related contracts can be found in the League of Minnesota Cities' memo Expenditures, Purchasing, and Contracts. Proclamation and resolution templates for declaring local emergencies are in the Appendix. State Authority The Governor has the authority to declare a statewide public health emergency, which activates the state's emergency response and management plan. This is done via an executive order under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 12. A public health emergency is determined at the discretion of the Governor, with input from the Commissioner of MDH. Evidence must exist that the illness or health condition is caused by a new, novel, or previously controlled or eradicated airborne, infectious agent or airborne, biological toxin. There must also be a high probability that the illness or health condition will cause at least one of the following: a large number of deaths; a large number of serious or long-term disabilities; or widespread exposure to an airborne agent that poses a significant risk of substantial future harm to a large number of people. More information on the powers and criteria afforded under law for emergency management can be found here. Minnesota Department of Health ("MDH") — The MDH Commissioner is responsible for MDH's All -Hazards Plan, which provides the framework for responding to a health crisis. Center For Disease Control ("CDC„) — The CDC has authority to manage public health crises. However, for local government, the determinations made by the Governor and the MDH Commissioner are more immediately impactful. The World Health Organization ("WHO") — The WHO defines a "pandemic" as an outbreak that involves a "worldwide spread of a new disease." An "influenza pandemic" occurs when "a new influenza virus emerges and spreads around the world, and most people do not have immunity." A determination by the WHO that there is a pandemic or influenza pandemic would most impact local governments through a ripple effect that would likely occur at the national and state level. 2 642994v1 SJR FA105-5