The Richmond City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution consenting to the director of emergency management's declaration that a local emergency exists in the City beginning Jan. 5, 2025, due to the effects of a winter storm.

The declaration, which the council expedited and placed before the body for consideration, followed a briefing from Stephen Willoughby, Director of Emergency, Communications, Preparedness and Response. Willoughby told the council the National Weather Service had issued a winter weather warning for Richmond and that expected freezing rain and subfreezing temperatures posed risks to transportation, power and life safety and could tax city resources. "This was in conjunction with the governor's declaration a couple of the days earlier," Willoughby said, and he recommended the declaration to the mayor under city code.

Council member Shannon Gibson, speaking after the public hearing closed, acknowledged reports that water pressure had been restored and thanked city workers for their efforts. Gibson urged the council to move beyond immediate response: "Once the water is restored ... I believe it's time for us to do our work, which is to put the wheels in motion to ensure that this doesn't happen again," she said, calling for prioritizing infrastructure in the next budget, asking the public utility commission to initiate a third-party investigation and seeking greater public visibility into system checks and testing.

No members of the public signed up to speak during the hearing on the emergency declaration. The council voted to adopt the resolution after member discussion.

Votes at final question: Mr. Bridal: Yes; Miss Gibson: Yes; Miss Jones: Aye; Miss Robertson: Aye; Miss Lynch: Aye; Miss Trammell: Aye; Miss Abubakar: Aye; Vice President Jordan: Aye; President Newbill: Aye. The motion and final adoption were recorded as approved.

Discussion versus action: the hearing produced staff briefing and member commentary urging review and longer-term steps; the formal action taken by the council was to adopt the consent resolution to the local emergency. The resolution itself grants consent to the director's declaration; it does not, in the text presented at the meeting, specify subsequent investigative or budgetary steps. Council members requested that administration and relevant bodies pursue follow-up work.

The council closed the hearing and moved on to other expedited agenda items.