Fort Worth suburb didn’t follow county’s emergency plan
Council member Chuck Kelley wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday night that Colleyville was not required to close its restaurants and other businesses because the city has its own emergency management plan.
Kelley also stated that the city was awaiting orders from the governor and that the city would abide by them.
Kelley wrote in his post that “Colleyville is not requiring any restaurant closures at this time. We are not required to follow Tarrant County mandates as we have our own Emergency management plan and our own Emergency Operations Center. So we are still open for business. We will follow any direction from the State of Texas. Gov Abbott will address the state tomorrow at 6 pm.”
On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to close restaurants, bars, gyms and other businesses until April 3.
When asked why he posted the statement on his Facebook page, Kelley said that he wanted to answer questions from several Colleyville residents who wanted to know what the city was going to do about closing restaurants and businesses.
“I got questions from multiple people asking how we are managing our plan,” Kelley said.
Mayor Richard Newton said that Colleyville is among several cities in Tarrant County with an autonomous emergency management plan which he said is separate from Tarrant County.
“Colleyville’s approach is to follow the president, follow the governor, we will comply with it,” he said.
Newton said he and other mayors were on a conference call with Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley to discuss emergency measures related to the coronavirus crisis. Cities with an autonomous plan would issue their own disaster plan, Newton said.
Newton said the city will issue an updated disaster declaration soon that will align with the governor’s executive order.
Newton said the city is also concerned about the restaurants and other businesses that are affected by the coronavirus crisis.
On Tuesday, the council voted to allocate $350,000 to send gift cards to residents in the city. The $35 gift cards can be used at Colleyville businesses until the end of April.
Previously, Colleyville sent $10 gift cards to residents to use at businesses affected by the Highway 26 construction.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 5:44 PM.