Title
Authorizing all City of Saint Paul Departments to apply for and accept grant funds to plan, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Body
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued Executive Order 20-01, “Declaring a Peacetime Emergency and Coordinating Minnesota’s Strategy to Protect Minnesotans from COVID-19,” declaring a peacetime emergency under Minn. Stat. § 12.31, subd. 2; and
WHEREAS, on March 15, 2020, Mayor Melvin Carter issued an emergency declaration, directing City departments to review operations and legal proceedings to determine whether any such operations or proceedings need adjusted or suspended, among other directions; and
WHEREAS, on March 17, 2020, the Saint Paul City Council extended the emergency declaration for ninety (90) days until June 15, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control has labeled COVID-19 as a pandemic illness; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 poses a risk to the health, welfare, and safety of the public; and
WHEREAS, the necessary resources to respond to and recover from this pandemic will exceed those resources available within the City, and additional resources will be needed from Ramsey County, and state and federal sources; and
WHEREAS, to avoid delays of approving this funding due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, City Departments need expedited approval to apply for and accept grants; and
WHEREAS, once a grant is awarded and the amount is known City Departments will submit a City Council resolution to amend the budget in the amount specified by said grant; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Health through the COVID-19 Response grant will distribute grants to eligible providers who need emergency funding to plan for, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 outbreak; and
WHEREAS, the Fire Department would like to apply for the COVID-19 Response grant; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council of Saint Paul authorizes all City Departments to apply for and accept grant funds to plan, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the COVID-19 Response grant from the Minnesota Department of Health, and if awarded, authorizes the appropriate City officials to execute the grant agreement.