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Medford OKs emergency ordinance By DAVID PRESZLER A scaled-back version of an emergency management ordinance that originally sparked controversy was adopted without fanfare Thursday by the Medford City Council. The ordinance gives the city's elected officials the authority to declare a state of emergency in case of events such as floods, fires, terrorism, earthquakes and hazardous-waste spills. The state of emergency declaration would allow the city to circumvent some financing procedures and make it easier to request and receive aid from state and federal agencies. It would also give the city the authority to force people to evacuate buildings, including their homes. The council was scheduled to vote on the ordinance at its Oct. 7 meeting. However, Councilman Matt Hart asked for -- and was granted -- extra time to review it with constituents. Hart was absent from Thursday's noon meeting and the council unanimously adopted the ordinance without any discussion. In February, the first draft of the ordinance raised concerns because of the broad powers critics felt it gave to the city manager -- including the authority to prohibit public gatherings, to order evacuations, to ban the sale of alcohol and gasoline and the sale or carrying of weapons. The revised version makes no mention of those powers and places the authority to declare a state of emergency with the mayor and elected city officials rather than the city manager. Despite the changes, Medford City Manager Michael Dyal said he was pleased with the ordinance. "It covers the ground that it needs to cover," he said. "We're satisfied. This is an improved product and we're grateful for the public's input." Medford Fire Chief Dave Bierwiler said the ordinance fills in some gaps in the city's emergency plans. "We think it covers everything we need to do," he said, noting that if new issues arise, the ordinance could be brought back to the council for modification. Medford Deputy Police Chief Ron Norris said the ordinance doesn't give police any authority in times of emergency that the department didn't already have. "It just outlines and defines it more," he said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA