Courthouse closed over coronavirus concerns

Washington County commissioners took emergency action last Wednesday to close the county courthouse in response to the threat of coronavirus.
 A sign on the courthouse on Monday notified the public that the building is closed to in-person visits. County departments in the courthouse will remain staffed to assist citizens via telephone, email or online.
 The courthouse and annex, which houses the DMV and vehicle registration, will be closed until at least March 30. On that date, commissioners will assess the situation and decide if the closure continues based on information on the coronavirus from public health agencies, the governor and federal officials.
 The county’s trash transfer sites in Weiser and Midvale will remain open for public use. Emergency services will remain fully staffed and operational. The county jail has temporarily imposed restrictions on who can visit inmates.
 The district and magistrate court offices will remain open to the public during normal business hours. All court filings should be delivered to the magistrate court office, which is located in the county annex right across the street from the courthouse.
 During the emergency meeting to consider the courthouse closure, commission chairman Kirk Chandler said he heard that people were coming from out of the county to use local court facilities and the DMV after those offices were closed in other counties. The influx could potentially expose county personnel to the coronavirus from outside the county, he said.
 Commissioners Nate Marvin and Lisa Collini agreed to the courthouse closure. Officials said it was a prudent move following the governor’s declaration of a state of emergency due to the possible spread of the coronavirus.
 Commissioners also declared a county state of emergency during a meeting on March 16 to discuss coronavirus. They met  with department heads, the mayors of Weiser, Midvale and Cambridge, law enforcement, fire and first responders and others on the county’s response.
 “I certainly don’t want to put our employees at risk,” Marvin said.
 Collini said it was important the county follow the guidelines issued by the CDC and public health agencies to limit the spread of the coronavirus and also to protect county employees. She wanted a time limit on how long the courthouse would close.
 Commissioners followed the lead of other counties and closed the courthouse until March 30. They agreed to review the situation every week during the commission meeting on Monday to see if the closure remains warranted.
 Commission meetings will remain open to the public, but the public won’t be allowed to attend in person as long as the courthouse is closed and will have to listen via teleconference or somehow obtain a copy of the recorded commission meeting.
 During the courthouse closure, commissioners said they will try to keep their weekly meeting short and limit the agenda items to what is necessary for county functions.
 There was some discussion about making sure that homeowners who are applying for the “circuit breaker” property tax reduction were able to file the paperwork and are taken care of before the deadline.
 On Monday, Assessor Debbie Moxley-Potter said her office will contact all property tax reduction applicants to make sure their applications are processed before the April 15 deadline.
 The assessor’s office will accept applications over the phone, by mail and email. The assessor’s office will also make appointments for those who are unable to complete their application over the phone or by mail.
 Residents needing help with motor vehicles can call 208-414-2530 to speak with a member of the assessor’s staff.
 “We will try to accommodate the public as best we can either by phone, online, mail or by appointment,” Moxley-Potter said.
 She said one of the assessor’s department deputies would be covering the driver’s license office by appointment for licenses like CDLs with hazmat endorsements, medical certificates for CDLs and extenuating circumstances.
 For example, if someone is leaving for a mission for two years and needs their ID card or driver’s license renewed, the assessor’s office will try to do that with an appointment.
 For other county departments, such as road and bridge and the weed eradication, the buildings will be closed to the public but employees will take calls\.
 If someone needs to pick up something from the weed department, the item could be placed outside the building and avoid any face-to-face contact officials said.