Imperial council tables reopening resolution
IMPERIAL – The Imperial City Council on Wednesday tabled a resolution until Friday that, if approved, would’ve allowed many of the city’s shuttered businesses to resume operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic in spite of county and state health orders that currently prohibit such business activities.
The unanimous decision to table the resolution came somewhat reluctantly, and was solely to await the outcome of today’s discussion between county and state officials that will help determine if the county will be allowed to progress to the next stage of its recovery plan.
The council’s decision also followed a press conference Wednesday afternoon where county officials highlighted the county having attained a seven-day positive test rate of less than 8 percent, which is required by the state before a county can move to the less restrictive low-risk Stage 2 recovery plan.
Despite the county having finally achieved the elusive benchmark, Mayor Pro Tem Karin Eugenio said county officials did not say much else during the press conference that gave her any confidence circumstances would quickly change for the better in the Valley.
“After Friday I’m done waiting and I’m ready for us to proceed and give our businesses a chance to recover,” Eugenio said.
During its Aug. 5 meeting, the council requested city staff to examine the potential consequences of disregarding the county and state’s health orders prohibiting many businesses from resuming operations amid the pandemic.
On Wednesday, Mayor Darrel Pechtl stated that were the city to authorize shuttered businesses to resume operations while those prohibitive health orders remained in place, the city stood to lose about $245,000 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds from the state.
The potential loss of the funds didn’t bother Pechtl, he said, so much as the county’s perceived failure to advocate with the state on behalf of the county’s citizenry and business community, and it instead placing more of an emphasis on securing about $128 million in CARES Act funds from the state.
Pechtl also faulted the county Public Health Department for not publicly disclosing whether the county has been able to determine whether
local positive cases have been transmitted mostly through crowded businesses, unsafe workplaces, cross-border travel or other methods.
“Whether they are incapable or they are not willing to tell us, in either case I am unwilling to wait for them,” Pechtl said.
Prior to the council’s vote to table the resolution, Councilman Geoff Dale said he was willing to give county officials one more chance to try to convince the state to allow the county to move forward with its recovery plan.
Specifically, the county is seeking a variance from the state that would allow schools, dine-in restaurants and additional operations to reopen locally.
“I was ready to pull the trigger (Wednesday night),” Dale said.
Following his remarks, Dale motioned to table the resolution, and was seconded by Councilman James Tucker, who said
that its tabling until 5 p.m. Friday likely wouldn’t make much of a difference for the council, which appeared all but ready to approve it during its regular meeting Wednesday.
When it came time to vote on Dale’s motion, Councilman Robert Amparano exhaled audibly, and paused briefly before he voiced his approval.
Prior to the vote, Amparano had stated the city’s citizenry and business community are at greater risk of emotional and physical distress, as well as financial hardship, the longer the city is forced to wait on county and state officials to act.
“Not a lot of our businesses can last a lot longer,” he said. “I don’t want Imperial to become a ghost town.”
Imperial is one of 37 California counties on the state’s monitoring list. In order to be allowed to move forward with the next stage of its recovery
plan, the county would need to be off the list for 14 days, officials said.
The resolution, as drafted, would direct city staff to use its limited resources to provide education and information to businesses so that they could resume operations in a manner aligning with federal and local guidelines and that protects workers and patrons.
It also highlighted the significant role public recreational spaces and privately owned gymnasiums have on essential workers and the general public’s mental and physical well-being.
“The City believes that criminalizing the behavior of businesses in the limited circumstances found in the City of Imperial is counterproductive and only serves to alienate the very population the City is sworn to protect and serve,” the resolution stated.