The Fillmore County Board met via WebEx on May 5. COVID-19 and related restrictions dominated the discussion. A resolution extending the Declaration of a State of Emergency was extended to May 26. Public access to county facilities will continue.
County Administrator Bobbie Hillery led a discussion concerning the wearing of masks by county employees when in a shared space with another employee. Chairman Marc Prestby said it should be up to the individual employee.
Jessica Erickson, Public Health, recommended wearing masks when in another person’s work space. Hillery said masks will be provided if employees choose to wear them. Commissioner Mitch Lentz stated if public health recommends we wear masks while at work, we should provide the masks.
Sheriff John DeGeorge said, as a department head, he was not against directing his staff to wear a cloth mask while in another’s work space.
Prestby maintained it should be left up to department heads. Commissioner Larry Hindt suggested masks should be worn for the safety and comfort of county employees. Commissioner Duane Bakke made a recommendation that county employees wear masks when in another’s work space. A recommendation from the county board to support the wearing of masks when an employee is in another person’s work space was approved. Prestby voted no.
County staff have been considering options to make it safer for the public and county employees when public access is allowed. Some modifications are being looked at, including sneeze guards/panels and social distancing in offices. Some modifications are already in place. Erickson noted some counties have hygiene stations in place.
Erickson updated the board on COVID statistics. Fillmore County has had 12 confirmed cases (not 13). There has been one death. All cases are out of isolation. There have been 428 deaths in Minnesota reported, which is about a 6% death rate. Erickson said she expects that death rate to go down.
COVID-19 has been found to affect cells in the lungs (a respiratory illness). It can produce blood clots and can put people with low platelets at a greater risk. Erickson said there is no food shortage at this time. She added it is critical for people to donate to food shelves. Public health has received 2,200 masks and 55 gowns.
Funding sources include Public Health Emergency Preparedness, COVID-19 response Public Health grant, and FEMA. Any expansion of work hours due to COVID will be submitted to FEMA.
There is a Planning Commission meeting scheduled for May 21. The logistics of having multiple public hearings during that meeting were discussed because of COVID-19 restrictions. Bakke expects there could be a lot of comments on the gravel pit proposal. Zoning Administrator Cristal Adkins didn’t think that the public hearing could be moved out any further due to the 120 day time frame. Adkins suggested people who don’t have their questions answered prior to the meeting could submit them in writing. Bakke said he was really concerned about the public record.
It was decided after the board meeting to hold the meetings via WebEx. The Board of Adjustment will hold two public hearings on two variance requests, starting at 7 p.m. The Planning Commission, to start about 7:10 p.m., will hold two public hearings on two conditional use permit applications: one for a substation in Sumner Township and one for a rock quarry in Fountain Township. Go to www.co.fillmore.mn.us for more information.
Other business in brief
•County Engineer Ron Gregg recommended the adoption of the five year Fillmore County Capital Improvement Plan for roads and bridges (years 2021 through 2025). Bakke commented that this has been the most open discussion he has seen on a five year plan during his 22 years on the board. Some changes have been made and the overall plan is better than the original plan. Lentz said the submitted plan is very good; we have a lot of roads that need work, but we don’t have a lot of money. The five year plan was approved unanimously.
•Terry Schultz, Maintenance, explained he had received two quotes for a carpet cleaner. He felt it will cost less for his staff to clean the carpets than it will cost to bring in a cleaning company. The lower quote from Powr-Flite for a carpet cleaner at a cost of $1,717 was approved.
•A letter had been received from Todd Froberg, DNR, and Time White, USDA, concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) management efforts which were completed on March 20, 2020. The culling effort has been focused in the area surrounding the core area of the infection.
The board was thanked for their support. Bakke commented that there is no question where the epicenter is. The state should be questioned as to what caused the epicenter to be in this particular area. Prestby thanked them for the letter and information that they sent the board.
•A closed meeting was held to discuss emergency response procedure for the COVID-19 Pandemic. The county is working with state agencies and the farm community to address livestock issues due to the pandemic. The county has received non-compliance of executive order complaints and reviewed them. The approach is for education first, then following through to encourage compliance.
Public Health is working with the Minnesota Department of Health on testing capabilities in regards to special circumstances as needed. The public should continue to seek testing at medical institutions. Fillmore County may have a facility or facilities within the county that may accept COVID-19 positive cases.
•The May 12 county board meeting will be held via WebEx. The call in number is 1 (408) 418-9388 and the access code number is 961-864-027.
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