CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
                 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA




  Agenda Date:         April 5, 2021

  Action Required:     First Reading: Ordinance to Repeal the City’s COVID Ordinance

  Presenter:           Heather Hill, City Councilor

  Staff Contacts:      Charles P. Boyles, II, City Manager
                       Lisa Robertson, Chief Deputy/Acting City Attorney

  Title:               Repeal of Local COVID Public Health Ordinance


Background:
In 2020 the Charlottesville City Council enacted a local ordinance to prevent the spread of the
Novel Coronavirus (“Covid 19”) pursuant to authority set forth in state law and Section 14 of the
City Charter. Recently, on December 10, 2020 and again on February 16, 2021, City Council
amended its local ordinance to bring it into closer conformance with the Executive Orders issued
by the Governor of Virginia. However, separately from the Governor’s Executive Orders the
City’s local ordinance continues to impose local restrictions on the numbers of persons allowed
at food establishments and requires a warning to a property owner or tenant prior to enforcing
any state-imposed restrictions on the size of a gathering.

Discussion:
Councilor Hill requests that Council revisit the question of whether the City’s local ordinance
should be repealed. Councilor Hill is concerned that as things progress relative to reopening in
the coming months, there will continue to be confusion and discrepancies between what is being
directed at the state and local level, making maintaining our own local ordinance growingly more
cumbersome.

(Note: separately, on April 19, 2021 the City’s current Continuity of Government Ordinance will
expire unless extended by City Council. We plan to present a proposed, revised Continuity of
Government Ordinance for consideration on that date).


Alignment with Council Vision Areas and Strategic Plan:
Each of Council’s Alternatives, below, can be said to align with one or more Council Vision Areas.

Community Engagement: N/A

Budgetary Impact: N/A

Recommendation: None at this time.
Alternatives:

   (1) No change (no action required): City Council may, after discussing the matter, decide not
       to repeal or change the existing ordinance in any way.

   (2) Repeal the Current Ordinance (adopt an Ordinance to repeal the existing Ordinance, per
       City Code §2-100): if Council wishes, it could repeal the current local ordinance, and allow
       activities and gatherings subject only to the Governor’s Executive Orders. (Attachment
       A to this Memo is an Ordinance repealing the current Ordinance). This Ordinance would
       require two readings, per City Code Sec. 2-97.

Attachment (1):

Attachment A: Ordinance repealing the local COVID Ordinance
                                   ATTACHMENT A

                             ORDINANCE
    REPEALING THE CITY’S ORDINANCE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE
      NOVEL CORONAVIRUS, SARS–CoV–2, AND THE DISEASE IT CAUSES,
                 COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS COVID-19
               (AS AMENDED THROUGH FEBRUARY 16, 2021)

       BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Charlottesville that this Council

hereby repeals, in its entirety, the Ordinance adopted by City Council to Prevent the Spread of

the Novel Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the Disease it Causes, commonly referred to as

Covid-19, as such Ordinance was adopted by Council and amended from time to time (most

recently amended and reenacted on February 16, 2021).