City, county take additional steps due to coronavirus

Both the city of Weiser and Washington County have taken additional steps within the past week in a statewide effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
 Following Gov. Brad Little’s stay-at-home order issued last Wednesday, the city of Weiser sent home nonessential employees and will staff city hall and some departments with “skeleton crews.” City hall has been closed to the public since March 20.  
 In addition, the city has closed all parks to the public to prevent groups of people from congregating and to follow social distancing guidelines.
 Mayor Randy Hibberd said services like trash pickup will continue and employees are staffing the city’s water treatment plant and wastewater facility. Other employees that have been sent home are on call if needed.

Residents are urged to pay utility bills online through the city’s website or through the mail or using the drop box across the street from city hall. Employees at city hall are answering the phones but the public is not allowed to enter.
 County commissioners, citing a coronavirus case in neighboring Payette County, further restricted public access to the courthouse during an emergency meeting last Wednesday.
 The courthouse and all county buildings are closed to the public with the exception of Magistrate Court, which remains open under an amended order from the Idaho Supreme Court.
 Some county departments had been allowing county residents to make appointments to conduct business in the courthouse. Those will not happen and the only interaction will be through email, regular mail or phone calls.
 All county departments are staffed, although some employees are working from home.
 Commissioner Kirk Chandler said he has heard there might have been some people in Washington County exposed to the coronavirus.
 “We need to be really careful in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
 As of Tuesday morning, there were no cases in the county reported by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
 Road and bridge and solid waste supervisor Jerod Odoms said the transfer station poses a risk of exposure but it cannot close. The transfer station is seeing increased use, which brings employees into contact with the public. There has been a heightened effort to disinfect any money accepted by employees.
 On Monday, commissioners reviewed the coronavirus precautions once again in a meeting with department heads and other elected officials.
 County emergency department director Tony Buthman has been looking to buy protective supplies for county employees and departments.
 He said the procedures and closures put in place by the county are the correct course of action to take.
 “I think we’re following the right path right now,” Buthman said.
 The county and city of Weiser, along with Cambridge, have declared emergencies, which allows local governments to recoup any expenses above the ordinary that are related to actions taken due to the coronavirus.
 Commissioners on Monday approved a resolution to allow the county’s emergency management department to spend up to $40,000 on items or supplies needed for the county’s response to the coronavirus.
 The department’s budget to spend on protective items had been capped at $3,000.
 Commissioners said any spending beyond the $40,000 would have to come back to the board for approval.
 Commissioners said all local governments and taxing districts in the county should keep track of expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic for possible reimbursement at a later date.
 The county building closures and other precautions in place will be reviewed every week, commissioners said.