Port Orchard has done away with its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for new city employees with a 5-2 council vote Feb. 14.

The policy had been in effect since Oct. 26, 2021, in the midst of the pandemic. New employees were required to provide proof of at least one dose of the vaccine, with the second dose required within 30 days.

The item was slated for discussion only on the council’s agenda, but concerns from the police department on the mandate’s negative effect on recruitment efforts for new and veteran officers may have provoked a decision sooner than expected.

Police chief Matt Brown said COVID policies have been a turnoff in going through what is already a stressing and scrutinizing application process. “To not know whether any medical or religious exemption will be granted at the end of that, they’ve gone through all that and told their agency they’re leaving, they are not willing to do that,” he said. “I am aware of a number of anonymous officers that have called human resources wanting to know if they can come here, but that is what is holding them back.”

Questions also came up concerning the overall effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing COVID. Councilmember John Clauson provided input from his position at Kitsap Transit, reporting that of the recent 14 positive COVID cases within KT, 12 occurred in people who have had the vaccine.

“I’m not quite sure if it (the vaccine) is as effective as it was at one point,” he said. “Therefore, I would certainly support the change.”

Councilmember Scott Deiner concurred, highlighting the importance of voting on it that night rather than later to address current staffing issues. “If we can get somebody, we’ve got to get them right away cause it’s a very competitive world out there,” he said.

The minority voices belonged to Councilmembers Jay Rosapepe and Fred Chang, the former of which said he would be happy to entertain a policy change upon the elimination of Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID mandates. “COVID is still out there, and having healthy employees, I think, is paramount to being able to provide service,” he said.

Chang said he is on the fence about the mandate and the vaccine, but he voted to maintain the mandate.