Dallas City Council extends disaster declaration until May 12, will adjust to state guidelines

While the city’s stay-at-home order is still up in the air, city officials now have the ability to extend emergency regulations past this month if they choose.

Hoping to eliminate confusion among residents, the Dallas City Council on Wednesday extended Mayor Eric Johnson’s disaster declaration over the coronavirus pandemic until May 12.

The city’s declaration will automatically extend beyond that date if the state prolongs its orders past the current deadline of 11:59 p.m. on May 12.

The extension allows the mayor and the city manager to decide whether to prolong the stay-at-home order as well as other emergency actions. Other orders required the county to report coronavirus testing numbers and local hospitals to provide daily updates on bed and ventilator capacity.

Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates, who represents northwest Dallas, offered the amendment that aligned the city’s declaration with the state’s after some debate over whether the city should align with Dallas County’s declaration, which set its date at May 15.

“The state is always going to trump the county,” Gates said, adding that she believes ensuring they’re in step with the state makes it easier for all residents to follow.

City attorney Chris Caso told council members Wednesday that cities and counties have the authority to declare local states of disaster, and that the governor can’t preempt that authority. But council members ultimately unanimously supported Gates’ amendment to eliminate confusion, they said.

Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who represents Far North Dallas, said it also serves the roughly 75,000 residents who don’t live in Dallas County.

“Following the county doesn’t serve all of Dallas,” Mendelsohn said.

The decision only extends the emergency declaration, not the city’s stay-at-home order.

At a news conference Wednesday, Johnson said he will defer the decision on the stay-at-home order to the county, which is the local health authority. Johnson said he’ll continue to follow public health experts’ lead and has issued limited orders to avoid confusion with the county.

Dallas County commissioners on Tuesday narrowly approved an extension for the county’s disaster declaration and stay-at-home order until May 15. But the extension may be short-lived.

Gov. Greg Abbott, in a news briefing, said an upcoming executive order may force the county to roll back its restrictions at the end of the month.

Without the extension, the city’s disaster declaration and any emergency orders would have expired April 29.

Johnson said the county is “setting the pace on the public health aspect, and we are just keeping pace with the county," adding that he would continue to ask people to follow their guidance.

He said city leaders are doing everything they can to recover and rebuild after the coronavirus.

“This will end — probably not all at once,” Johnson said. “And things may not be exactly as they were before. But our lives will go on.”