Dallas County Commissioner Clay Jenkins, left, and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price

The Fort Worth City Council has voted to extend the city’s “stay home, work safe” emergency restrictions through April 30. Mayor Betsy Price said last week that she expected the council to vote today (Tuesday, April 7) during the regularly-scheduled council meeting to extend the order.

Find more information here.

The vote came the same day that the Dallas County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to limit some of County Judge Clay Jenkins’ power.

The changes approved by commissioners require a majority vote by the commissioners court to extend the county’s “stay at home” order beyond its current end date of April 30. Jenkins is also now required to give commissioners at least three hours’ notice before putting any more stringent requirements on local businesses.

District 2 commissioner J.J. Koch, who introduced the amendment, told WFAA that the move was not about “reigning in” Jenkins’ authority, but instead was intended to “put to rest, in writing” public concern that Jenkins would extend the shelter in place order without input from the commissioners.

Jenkins abstained from voting on the part of the amendment dealing with the requirements for extending the shelter in place order.

Changes approved by the Dallas County Commissioners today also added check cashing businesses and pawn shops to the list of “essential businesses.”

— Tammye Nash