Phoenix City Council
By Jen Fifield | Arizona Republic
The Phoenix City Council will allow the public to weigh in soon on its recently imposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees after pushback from public safety unions and a few council members, but it’s unclear whether the council could overturn the mandate.
The council will discuss the mandate, and potentially vote on the issue, in a policy meeting on Dec. 7.
Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton imposed the mandate last week, saying the city falls under the presidential executive order that forces all federal government contractors to require employees to be vaccinated. The city has many federal contracts.
City spokesperson Dan Wilson said at the time the mandate was a city manager decision, not a council decision, because the city manager oversees the city’s employees. It’s unclear, even if the council voted in opposition to the mandate, whether the council would have the power to overturn it.
