The Truckee Town Council held its first virtual special meeting Wednesday in response to the statewide stay-at-home order.

During the more than four-hour session, which was held via a video conference, council members heard from law enforcement and health officials on the current coronavirus situation, and then took action in adopting an urgency ordinance that established a temporary moratorium on evicting tenants due to financial difficulties.

Nevada County, Grass Valley and Nevada City have enacted similar measures.

The town’s passing of the ordinance came on the same day that Gov. Gavin Newsom announced more than one million Californians have filed unemployment claims since March 13.

Town Council members unanimously passed an eviction moratorium, which is intended to support residents facing financial hardships by not allowing landlords to evict tenants for unpaid rent through July 1. Tenants will still be responsible for any unpaid rent and accompanying late fees. Landlords could also still evict tenants for other violations of their lease.

As part of the urgency ordinance, the Town Council will allocate $75,000 to the Sierra Community House to help support an increase in food deliveries. The Sierra Community House annually serves about 1,000 households. Due to rules regarding the coronavirus, the organization has moved its food program to 100% delivery.

The community house has also seen roughly a 50% increase in requests for food delivery services, according to a Truckee staff report. As part of the food assistance package, the town approved $10,000 to the Sierra Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels program as well.

Council members also allocated $5,000 to support the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe’s Pet Pantry food donation program. The program provides residents financial support by offsetting the cost of pet ownership, and also reduces the number of pets given up because the owner is experiencing financial hardships.

Council members also directed staff to further look into the possibility of creating a community residential assistance program to provide short-term funding to residents facing financial hardship and unable to pay rent due to the coronavirus pandemic. Staff is recommending a budget for the program that would not exceed $100,000.

The Truckee Town Council will next meet on Tuesday, April 14.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643.