Loading...
Min 03/27/2020W/C1 �64r ra (S T E X A S P/cteSRieS. Ci�/de�vO��poifirr�7ie5. Item 1 - Call to Order City of Wichita Falls City Council Meeting Minutes March 27, 2020 The City Council of the City of Wichita Falls, Texas met in a special session on the above date in the Council Chambers of the Memorial Auditorium Building at 8.30 o'clock a.m., with the following members present. Stephen L. Santellana DeAndra Chenault Tim Brewer Jeff Browning Michael Smith Steve Jackson Bobby Whiteley Darron Leiker Kinley Hegglund Marie Balthrop - Mayor - Mayor Pro Tem/Councilor District 2 - Councilor District 4 - Councilor District 3 - Councilor District 1 - Councilor District 5 - Councilor At -Large - City Manager - City Attorney - City Clerk Mayor Santellana called the meeting to order at 8.31 a.m. Item 2a — Invocation Councilor Smith gave the invocation. Item 2b — Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Santellana led the Pledge of Allegiance. Item 3 — Staff Update on COVID-19 8.34 a.m. Lou Kreidler, Director of Health, gave an update on COVID-19. Ms. Kreidler stated that currently there have been three hundred fifty-five tests with twelve positive cases of which two are hospitalized, nine are self -isolating, and one is recovered. Of the remaining tests, one hundred fifty-nine are negative and one hundred eighty-four are pending. The Health District conducts contact tracing for each positive case and for the twelve positive cases, there are approximately eighty-one contacts and over three hundred possible contact exposures from the Iowa Park clinic. We have notified twelve locations including one large employer where individuals exhibiting symptoms visited before they were tested. The call center has fielded over six hundred calls this week, and Ms. Kreidler believes we need to take this next step due to the increasing number of positive tests and the one health care facility with a large number of contacts. A shelter in place order is necessary to slow the spread, as the steps that are taken now will determine how long COVID-19 remains in our community. Item 4 — Ordinance 14-2020 8.38 a.m. Ordinance issuing a Shelter in Place Order; declaring an emergency. Moved by Councilor Chenault to approve Ordinance 14-2020. Motion seconded by Councilor Browning. Mr. Hegglund gave an overview of the proposed Shelter in Place order. Councilor Browning asked about golf courses being essential outdoor activity, as he has two courses in his district and has received multiple phone calls and messages pertaining to this. Mr. Hegglund stated that currently golf courses are not considered an essential business. Councilor Whiteley requested a clarification regarding the difference between section 5 and section 7. Mr. Hegglund stated that section 5 discusses prohibited travel and section 7 lists the exceptions for essential activities. There was discussion about the enforcement section of the order and possibly changing it from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor that would remove the jail time of up to 180 days. Chief Borrego stated they would seek voluntary compliance first, and prefers the Class C misdemeanor, as that gives the officers more discretion. Councilor Jackson asked what the procedure would be for arrested persons and officers in order to protect them from COVID-19. Mr. Hegglund discussed the book in and quarantine/isolation procedures in place. Dr. Robert McBroom, M.D., 3005 Lansing, thanked the Council for the opportunity to speak. He spoke to the gravity of the situation and explained what makes COVID-19 so dangerous; CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 27, 2020 Page 2 the incubation period, duration, and detection. COVID-19 is also more infectious, and virulent than the regular human coronavirus, and invades every organ system in the body. He urged Council to take action to prevent a mass casualty incident. Councilor Jackson asked about air and bus travel. Dr. McBroom highlighted the severity of the danger of air and bus travel and emphasized that all unnecessary travel should be avoided. Dr. Von Gray, M.D., 3606 Glenwood, presented a conservative mathematical model. He stated that if current behavior is not changed, shelter in place is not enacted, and the community does not follow guidance, then the current hospital system would be overrun about a week after Easter. It takes two weeks for any changes to show in the infection rate which is why Council should act today even if things do not seem dire today. If the hospital system is overrun, then those who are suffering from trauma or illness unrelated to COVID- 19 run the risk of having complications or dying from something that was preventable. Dr. Gray spoke on behalf of eighty physicians who have signed a petition in support of an order to shelter in place. Dr. Gray implored citizens to do their part and stay at home. Mayor Santellana asked Dr. Gray for a predicated date when the hospital will be overrun, specifically in regards to hospital beds and ventilators. Dr. Gray stated that hospital beds could be overrun by April 25t" and ventilators by April 19t". The death rate could spike after that from 1 % mortality to 5%. By April 25t", there could be approximately ninety-five unnecessary deaths. Mayor Santellana asked if there is any scenario in which Wichita Falls would not see deaths from COVID-19. Dr. Gray does not believe that there is and that we are just at the beginning of an outbreak in our community. He urged Council to enact a shelter in place and for citizens to take this seriously. Dr. Brett May, M.D., 6307 Kovarik, discussed the differences between the flu and COVID-19 and the responses from other countries and stated that he strongly supports shelter in place. Dr. Daunne Peters, M.D., 405 Ray, spoke overwhelmingly in support of shelter in place. She expressed her understanding of the economic impact of such an order but advocated for a stronger shelter in place and then easing off as things get better. Dr. Peters said that a majority of the medical community is in support of a shelter in place and reiterated that this could help to prevent an overload of our hospital systems and thereby ensuring that those who need medical care unrelated to COVID-19 would be able to receive it. Councilor Jackson asked about the capabilities of having a lab that would be able to test locally. Dr. Peters stated that she felt the labs were doing a great job with getting the results back to the providers quickly. Dr. Joshua Schacter, D.O., 2 Blue Sage, rebutted several common arguments against going into a shelter in place. He stated that we have a large population of people over the age of fifty that put them at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19 and that we are already feeling the economic impacts from this pandemic and should not use that as an excuse to avoid doing what is necessary. Dr. Schacter spoke on behalf of the larger medical community and advocated for shelter in place for not only Wichita Falls but surrounding communities as well. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 27, 2020 Page 3 Councilor Brewer asked if it would be possible to amend the order and add real estate as essential business having similar restrictions as car dealerships. Ms. Kreidler stated her concerns about allowing real estate to continue to have showings are because it would involve letting people into homes, and it could lead to community spread very quickly given how mild the initial symptoms can be and the numerous points of contact involved. She also addressed a previous question made by the council to the doctors about what makes Wichita Falls different. Ms. Kreidler detailed the specific types of co -morbidities that are prevalent in our community that put our population at risk and emphasized our high population of elderly people. Mayor Santellana asked Councilor Brewer if it would be possible for real estate agents and others associated with their industry to come up with a plan to present to council as an alternative that would minimize contact with individuals. Council agreed that if the Wichita Falls Association of Realtors could propose a business model without contact that they would be willing to amend that portion of the ordinance. Councilor Jackson inquired about citizens being able to contact the Legal Department if they had any questions about essential or non -essential business. Mr. Hegglund provided the number and stated they would be available for the public to call with any questions they may have. Councilor Jackson requested that Mr. Leiker and Mr. Hegglund speak with the medical professionals in attendance for their advice as regards air and bus travel. Mr. Leiker informed Councilor Jackson that the governor has added a requirement that anyone coming from a COVID-19 hotspot be quarantined upon their arrival for two weeks. For our public transportation, we have removed half the seats and have been disinfecting regularly. John Burrus, Director of Aviation, Traffic, and Transportation, stated that there is currently no federal or state recommendation to shut down public transportation. He added that the people currently using our public transit system are using it for essential business or activities. They are following the guidance provided by the Health department to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. There was discussion about adding nurseries to the list of essential businesses. Steve Smith, 1 Brass Lantern, spoke in favor of adding nurseries as an essential business and proposed ways to provide service to the public with limited or no contact. Representative James Frank spoke to the financial impact of current action that has been taken and what could happen if shelter in place was enacted. He encouraged the City to enforce social distancing more strongly as opposed to focusing on what is and is not essential business. Mayor Santellana advocated for more personal responsibility and to adopt this ordinance today with the caveat that it be changed and tailored to our community as often as necessary. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 27, 2020 Page 4 Councilor Chenault verified the Legal Department's phone number with Mr. Hegglund for citizens to call to ask if they are essential or non -essential. She also asked Ms. Kreidler to confirm if we were enacting shelter in place because we have a case that is community spread. Ms. Kreidler stated that we currently do not have one, but it is very likely that cases exist that are community spread. She updated the number of cases we currently have since she spoke earlier in the meeting. There are now three more positive cases, one being hospitalized with a total of fifteen positive cases and four hospitalized. She implored Council to take into consideration how rapidly this disease is spreading when voting on this ordinance. Councilor Chenault asked why liquor stores are considered essential and not church services. Dr. Gray stated that closing down liquor stores could flood the hospital with individuals experiencing withdrawals taking hospital beds needed for COVID-19 or other patients. Councilor Whiteley asked a follow up question regarding first responders getting notification that still only showed a medical caution in the CAD system as he had heard that some HIPAA regulations had been relaxed to allow first responders to be made aware individuals positive for COVID-19. Ms. Kreidler explained the current procedure for informing first responders and gave information on current HIPAA directives. There was further discussion on changing the enforcement from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor. Mr. Hegglund gave the suggested motion that Section 10 Enforcement of this order be modified as it relates to the last sentence such that the last sentence reads as follows: "A violation of this order shall be a Class C misdemeanor and the penalty for violating this order shall be a fine of not less than one dollar ($1.00) and no more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) as authorized by Texas Government Code 418.173." Councilor Smith made a motion to amend Section 10 as presented by Mr. Hegglund. Motion to amend was seconded by Councilor Whiteley and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, Smith, and Whiteley Nay: None Mr. Leiker ensured the Council that this will be enforced as Chief Borrego said not only by the Police Department which has a special unit for this but also the Fire Marshalls and the Sheriff's Office. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 27, 2020 Page 5 Councilor Jackson confirmed with Mr. Hegglund that AA meetings would be excepted as it is a medical and mental health issue as long as social distancing is maintained. There was discussion about modifying the current funeral home directive. There was discussion about limiting the number of people in big box and grocery stores. Councilor Smith called for a vote on the main motion as amended. After further discussion, Councilor Smith rescinded his motion. Steven Pickle, 4831 Trinidad, asked Council and the community to focus on passing Shelter in Place and not get bogged down in details and to work them out later. Nathanial Blank, 4115 Larchmont, shared scripture and asked Council to reconsider allowing communities of faith to meet provided they adhere to current social distancing and shelter in place policies/guidance. Gonzalo Robles, 4846 Tortuga, urged Council to please listen to the medical advice given by the professionals. He offered support to the public on behalf of the Cafe con Leche community group. Trey Sralla, 401 N Scott, asked Council to consider adding power support dealers to the essential business list. Dr. Daunne Peters gave a follow up comment in response to Representative Frank. She stated that we will not immediately see benefits of this ordinance, but it will be apparent in the coming weeks. Dr. Peters reiterated that people can be infected well before they show any symptoms. She thanked Council again for their efforts. Councilor Smith moved to approve the main motion as amended approving Ordinance 14- 2020. Motion seconded by Councilor Chenault and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Mayor Santellana, Councilors Brewer, Browning, Chenault, Jackson, Smith, and Whiteley Nays: None Item 5 — Items of Concern to Members of the City Council 12:36 p.m. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 27, 2020 Page 6 Councilor Whiteley asked if there are any plans for drive up testing. Ms. Kreidler stated that there are several locations providing drive up testing, some that are open to the public, and others for established patients. Citizens are encouraged to call their primary care physician to determine where testing is available. Councilor Browning reminded the public that things will be open in the coming days and to not panic. Mayor Santellana thanked the local physicians that spoke and gave a special thanks to Representative James Frank for attending and adding to discussion. He expressed that this is a situation we have to get right as we are talking about loss of life, and he is glad we took our time to discuss this item. Thank you to those who have reached out and shared opinions and information. We can rebuild the economy; we cannot rebuild the community. Mayor Santellana said he feels like the right decision was made today, and it was based upon facts and data. He reminded citizens to be responsible and that tickets will be issued to those that do not take this seriously. Citizens need to take the advice from our medical community and be socially responsible. Item 6 — Comments from the Public to Members of the City Council Concerning Items that are not on the City Council Agenda 12:43 p.m. There were no additional comments from citizens. Item 7 — Adjourn Mayor Santellana adjourned the meeting at 12:43 p.m. PASSED AND APPROVED this 7t" day of April, 2020. ATTEST: Marie Balthrop, T2MC, CMC City Clerk YAL ;Z, go;4� Stephen L. Santellana, Mayor CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 27, 2020 Page 7