St. Paul's emergency orders currently slated to stay in effect for at least another 2 months

Officials in Minnesota cities are wrestling with how long to grant local mayors COVID-19 emergency powers now that Gov. Tim Walz lost his executive pandemic authority.

St. Paul's emergency orders are currently slated to remain in effect for at least another two months.

The City Council voted June 2 to extend Mayor Melvin Carter's emergency declaration for 90 days "to ensure measures in place during the pandemic that have ongoing benefit in our community can continue as we emerge from this crisis," said Peter Leggett, the mayor's communications director.

The council voted to extend a few additional measures — such as those governing emergency pandemic leave and waiving signature requirements for zoning petitions — on June 17.

Leggett did not say whether Carter plans to ask the council to grant additional extensions.

"While a final determination has not yet been made, as we have done throughout the course of the pandemic, we'll continue to engage in efforts responsive to the needs of our residents, workers and businesses," he said in an e-mail.

The COVID pandemic is easing its grip in the state, prompting city and state leaders to dramatically pull back on previous restrictions and mask requirements. Meanwhile, roughly 67% of Minnesotans 16 and older had received COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, a level of immunization that helped shield the state from the spring pandemic wave. The state on Thursday passed President Joe Biden's goal of providing vaccine to 70% of adults 18 and older by July 4.

City Council President Lisa Bender, who requested the extension, said they wanted to provide a "phased approach" rather than abruptly ending some programs that businesses and others in the community are relying on.

The city's declaration had been set to expire with the state's, which the governor and legislators moved to end this week, surprising some city officials. The City Council, in an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon, voted to extend the emergency in Minneapolis, and Mayor Jacob Frey approved the decision.

The local emergency declaration allows the city to waive some of its normal procedures with the goal of providing a faster or more effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keeping the emergency declaration in place will allow the city to continue to permit some restaurants without patios to provide outdoor dining, cap fees on some food delivery orders and waive late fees for some food, taxi, liquor and catering licenses. Those provisions are now set to expire Sept. 30.

The latest declaration extends the amount of time city staff must use additional sick leave for "COVID-19 related situations," and allows the city to continue holding virtual public meetings.

In a public meeting last month, some council members said the mayor was overstepping his emergency powers when he granted a $359,000 contract to a community group for work to prevent violence at and help reopen George Floyd Square. The mayor defended his decision, saying the group was also doing work related to the pandemic.

City leaders are separately discussing the possibility of creating a work group, including the mayor and council members, to make decisions related to contracts issued using the city's American Rescue Plan money.