08-2020 - Authorize Mayor to be flexible with pay and benefits during COVID

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Please Substitute. ORDINANCE NO. 8-2020 BY: Litten, Bullock, Rader, Shachner, Neff, Kepple AN ORDINANCE to take effect March 16, 2020 provided it received the vote of at least two-thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect at the earliest period allowed by law, authorizing the Mayor to use flexibility to pay employees, continue to pay for benefits, and to provide paid leave, during the current COVID-19 crisis WHEREAS, the current threat of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the Governor of the State of Ohio to declare a state of emergency and the Director of the Ohio Department of Health to issue an order limiting gatherings in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and WHEREAS, during the state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City has been forced to close certain buildings and cancel certain operations, and may be forced to keep employees and officials away from their usual places of occupation, which may necessarily prevent them from performing their usual tasks on behalf of the City; and WHEREAS, during the state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City has been and may be forced to compel the cancellation of public events and mass gatherings, including public meetings, or the restructuring of meetings in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus; and WHEREAS, during the state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic,the Ohio Revised Code's provisions should be read in pari materia with one another and in harmony with federal and state executive orders in order to give harmony to each; and WHEREAS, the City is governed by various employment provisions within federal, state and local code, collective bargaining agreements, and employee handbook provisions, all of which may be impacted by the state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and WHEREAS, giving Council and the Mayor's administration the ability to be flexible with respect to certain of these meeting- and employment-related provisions in the midst of the state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic is necessary and proper; and WHEREAS, this Council determines that this ordinance is an emergency measure and that it shall take effect immediately and that it is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public property, health, and safety and to provide for the usual daily operation of municipal departments in that it coincides with federal, state and county states of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic; now, therefore BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO: