Chino Hills council votes 5-0 to continue City Hall emergency declaration after fire

A majority of the Chino Hills City Council voted 5–0 on March 10 to continue the local emergency proclamation related to the June 23 City Hall fire, clearing the way for contractors to finish repairs with minimized disruption to city operations.

City Manager Montgomery told the council that “we're getting close to completing all of the cubicle reconstruction” and that work to repair counter areas should begin “in the next week or two,” with much of the repair work scheduled in evenings and on weekends to limit impact on the public. Montgomery told the council the continuation of the proclamation is needed to finalize the restoration work.

Mayor Jones moved to continue the emergency proclamation and the motion passed unanimously. The vote was announced in the meeting as “Motion passes, 5 0.”

The emergency declaration stems from the June 23 fire and the subsequent water damage used to suppress it; Montgomery’s report said the city has been working with its contractor to restore spaces and that recent progress has been modest but steady. Officials emphasized that continuing the proclamation preserves the city’s flexibility to complete repairs quickly and coordinate contractors outside normal business hours.

In other business related to city operations, the council approved the consent calendar (items 7–16) by unanimous vote earlier in the meeting; the consent motion was described as moved by Councilmember Rogers and seconded by Councilmember Moran and recorded as passing 5–0.

The council did not specify a sunset date for the continued proclamation during the discussion; Montgomery said that staff will keep the council updated as work progresses and that residents can expect counter repairs to begin soon.