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City Council Members Write Letter To Mayor Over Emergency Declaration

Three members of the Harrisburg City Council have written a letter to Mayor Wanda Williams, expressing their concerns over her emergency declaration regarding a rat infestation at the Broad Street Market site. Council President Danielle Bowers and members Lamont Jones and Jocelyn Rawls claim the declaration was made without prior public notice and lacked sufficient details.

The letter, which was co-signed by the three council members, raises several questions about the emergency declaration. These include when the administration first became aware of the rat infestation, the specific threats to public health, how contracts were approved to address the issue, and why the council was not asked to vote on specific contractors.

The Broad Street Market's brick building partially burned down in a fire in July 2023 and remained untouched for over a year until the emergency declaration. This declaration led to a series of contracts for cleaning out the interior, performing shoring-up work, and conducting lead abatement, among other projects. All these were carried out without council approval.

In response to the council members' letter, Mayor Williams issued a statement asking the council members to stop finding ways to delay the market's construction. She stated, "I find it disheartening that the same three members of Council who voted against starting work on the market in May, are continuing to do what they can to delay construction." She further added that she had the legal right to declare the emergency and suspend standard bidding rules under the commonwealth’s Third Class City Code. However, she did not clarify whether the administration would answer the council members' specific questions. TheBurgNews.com reported.


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