Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced on Tuesday the city was declaring a state of emergency, forcing the closure of bars and moving restaurants to takeout, delivery and drive-thru only starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Tucson has done the same, and Flagstaff made a similar move on Monday.

In the Valley, Gilbert and Mesa declared local states of emergency on Monday and Tuesday, and Tempe is preparing to vote on the same this week as cities across the Valley and nation expand measures to fight the new coronavirus.

A state of emergency allows mayors to ramp up responses at the local level and to “govern by proclamation,” meaning they can do things such as force restaurant closures, organize public safety responses or impose curfews.

In a video posted on her Twitter feed, Gallego explained her reasons for declaring the state of emergency.

“We understand that this is incredibly difficult for our small businesses and the workforce that will be impacted by this. I made this decision after discussing it with leaders of business community groups, our hospitals, and health care associations," Gallego said.

"What they’ve told me is that right now, they are preparing to treat people in tents because we don’t have enough beds, that we expect doctors to have to make heartbreaking decisions about who gets a ventilator and who doesn’t. They said that by declaring an emergency, we at the city of Phoenix can help them save lives.

"This is a very difficult time for our country and our city, but we are trying to do our best we can to support our health care system and give them a fighting chance,” Gallego said.

According to Phoenix's city charter, any violation of the mayor’s emergency proclamation would be considered a misdemeanor.

The declaration will be voted on at Wednesday's Phoenix City Council meeting, the city announced in a press release several hours after Gallego's tweets.

Councilman Sal DiCiccio tweeted on Tuesday that he is "absolutely opposed" to Gallego's declaration, comparing it to martial law. He wrote that declaring a "great emergency" gives her "unlimited power to rule the City of Phoenix by proclamation for however long she chooses, with no recourse for Council to rescind or even question her actions."

Overall, Arizona's state-led efforts to prevent the spread of the disease have been less aggressive than those taken by other states.

On Monday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema called on Arizona to act far more aggressively, urging the state to temporarily close "clubs, bars, museums, libraries, gyms, and other places where large groups congregate."

Arizona mayors appear to be stepping up and considering these measures in their cities.

Gilbert, Mesa declare states of emergency

Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels said Gilbert declared a state of emergency primarily so the town could close municipal buildings and better access “tools and resources.” According to town ordinances, municipal buildings cannot close to the public unless the town is under a state of emergency.

It also allows the town to more quickly and easily access cleaning supplies and supplies for first responders, Daniels said. “You do this in order to basically put yourself ahead of the line, if you will.”

Daniels now has full authority to take more serious measures as well, according to state statutes and town ordinances. She can impose curfews, order businesses to shutter, close any public streets or places and call upon law enforcement within or outside of Gilbert to help.

Asked whether these steps may be considered, Daniels said, "it would be irresponsible for myself or any leader to completely remove options from the table at this time."

Daniels said on Tuesday there were no additional closures planned. She encourages residents to visit local restaurants by taking out or doing curbside pickup or delivery.

“I don’t know when the last time is the town ever declared a state of emergency, so we’re going based on what the ordinances say,” Daniels said. “We're not trying to issue ourselves any additional or new powers, we’re just trying to be able to react swiftly.”

Gilbert Councilman Jared Taylor said Daniels's declaration may be "hasty" and too much too soon. He was disappointed that he, as an elected council member, was not consulted.

"That's a pretty big decision to just make unilaterally," he said. "Without any cases in Gilbert, I guess time will tell whether that was a good decision or not."

Taylor said he worries the town's decision may just cause "more panic and hysteria" among residents and shoppers.

Mesa Mayor John Giles said Mesa made the decision so the city could be proactive and flexible as the situation worsens. He said the state of emergency will allow the city to take advantage of a number of measures and resources to protect residents.

This includes the ability to obtain "aid, relief, and assistance from federal, state, and county authorities" if necessary.

“A city declaration of emergency is not superfluous to the governor’s declaration," Giles said.

As of Tuesday evening, Mesa was recommending residents follow guidelines to avoid places with more than 10 people. The city has not yet closed or restricted restaurants and bars, but Giles said he "expects" people to comply with recommendations against on-site dining. As things change, the city's recommendation may become an enforcement, he said.

"The thing that is obvious in all of this is that this is a very fluid situation and every day there are changes," Giles said. "The only thing I know for sure is that tomorrow will be different than today. I wouldn’t venture a guess as to how quickly, or if at all, some of those other measures will be taken."

Others considering the same

The Tempe City Council announced a special meeting for Wednesday to vote on approving a citywide emergency. Passage would require a "yes" vote from at least six of the seven council members, according to its city charter.

Mayor Mark Mitchell would then have the authority to enact "necessary emergency response measures via proclamation," according to a news release from the city.

Tempe has had the ability in its charter to declare such an emergency since 1964, but the city has never used it in response to a public health emergency, according to a news release.

Tempe is following "similar actions by the state and federal governments, as well as other Arizona cities," the release said.

Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans issued a proclamation on Monday evening closing a number of businesses and restaurants, becoming the first Arizona city to take such measures. The proclamation bans all restaurants and other food or drink businesses from allowing on-site consumption. It also closes a number of gathering and entertaining places like bars, theaters, gyms and bowling alleys.

Cities have different approaches to declaring states of emergencies and closing businesses that are largely based on differences in city charters.

Phoenix and Mesa's city charters give the mayor the authority to make emergency declarations without a council vote. Gilbert is not a chartered city, meaning it operates under state statute and town code, which say the mayor can declare a state of emergency without a council vote. Tempe, on the other hand, has a section in its charter that requires six council members to vote in favor before the mayor can declare a similar emergency.

This accounts for some of the discrepancy and time gaps in city actions.

West Valley cities hold off for now

No West Valley cities have issued emergency proclamations so far.

Avondale Mayor Kenneth Weise said the city will comply with federal and state officials but does not plan to declare a state of emergency.

“A lot of employees are working from home. Some businesses don’t have that option, so for a city to mandate that they have to close, I would be hesitant to do that," he said.

Weise was part of a Tuesday conference call between Arizona mayors and Gov. Doug Ducey. The discussion ranged from how to get more face masks for public safety employees to how large public gatherings should be.

“The takeaway was that every city should be on the same page,” Weise said. “I think cities need to work with the governor and make sure they have what they need.”

Giles said the governor's office understood the important role of mayors and city governments and that it would respect decisions to declare states of emergencies.

"It was acknowledged that was happening and they didn't have a problem with that," Giles said.

Surprise Mayor Skip Hall said Ducey did not give cities a direct recommendation on whether to shut down restaurants.

Instead, he said, Ducey told them that they should be encouraging restaurants to follow the guidelines posted by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Those guidelines tell dining establishes to discourage dine-in traffic, place customers 6 feet apart, encourage drive-thru services and have staff maintain high hygiene standards.

Hall and City Council members have been talking to city staff about whether to declare an emergency, Hall said.

He said some say that declaring an emergency will make it easier for cities to recover money spent on fighting the outbreak, but he hasn’t been able to confirm that yet.

At this point, Hall said, he would rather leave it up to restaurants and businesses to make their own decisions about opening or closing, and he doesn’t understand how cities are enforcing forced closures.

“So, if someone opens, we send a cop over there?” Hall said. “How do we enforce that?”

Peoria has not yet mandated restaurant or business closures and is working with federal and state partners to "ensure consistency," according to a statement from Mayor Cathy Carlat.

Goodyear spokeswoman Tammy Vo said the city hasn’t taken any action on that front, but the situation is changing daily.

Buckeye is considering ways the mayor can take action, according to spokeswoman Annie DeChance. "Now that Phoenix has declared a state of emergency, we're determining if we do the same."

Glendale is taking a close look at what neighboring cities are doing when making decisions such as whether to shut down restaurants, according to city officials.

The city could make the decision to close restaurants, if the mayor or council decided to do so, City Manager Kevin Phelps said during a meeting with the Glendale City Council on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Joyce Clark asked city staff pointed questions about why the city was not considering this, when President Donald Trump has recommended not holding gatherings of more than 10 people.

“I guess I’m more radical,” she said.

Council members weighed that option at the meeting, while also discussing the harm it would cause small businesses and the economy, and potential government overreach.

“I’m someone who doesn’t want government to get out of its lane,” Councilwoman Lauren Tolmachoff said. But, she added, you can’t follow the president’s recommendations and still have restaurants open.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers reiterated how many different considerations go into a decision like this, which is why decisions have to be made “methodically, and with some intelligence.”

“This thing touches people in so many different ways,” he said. “I don’t know if people realize how huge this is.”

Republic reporters Jessica Boehm, Paulina Pineda, Joshua Bowling, Jen Fifield and Richard Ruelas contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

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