“We are Brown County. This is our community. We are going to get through this together and things are going to be different, but we’ll do it.”
That’s the message commissioner Diana Biddle shared with the community about the COVID-19 pandemic at the conclusion of the March 18 Brown County Commissioners meeting.
“We’ll get through it because our fathers and our forefathers got through it. This is just a new situation for us to pioneer,” she said.
The meeting was live-streamed on Facebook since the public is discouraged from gathering in groups of more than 10. Vice President Biddle and President Jerry Pittman were both present with commissioner Dave Anderson appearing by phone. “Going forward, no two commissioners will be in the same room after today to prevent any possible spreading of this virus,” Pittman said. Pittman also gave Biddle the authority to take his place as president of the commissioners when he is physically absent.
The county’s website, www.browncounty-in.gov has a new COVID-19 response tab that will be updated with how the county departments will operate during the health crisis along with contact information for each department.
For future meetings, all department reports that would usually be delivered in commissioner meetings will be submitted electronically and included in the meeting minutes, Biddle said.
Gov. Eric Holcomb stated, and the Indiana Public Access Counselor agrees, that boards will meet virtually, and only one person from a board has to be in attendance at the physical meeting site. This means the other two commissioners can connect electronically, Biddle said.
Who’s in charge
The Brown County Commissioners have put Brown County Emergency Management Director Susan Armstrong and Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost in charge of the county’s response to the pandemic. “The county commissioners have entrusted them with the full authority to take whatever actions are necessary to protect our community,” Biddle said.
Armstrong and Frost recently activated the county’s emergency management plan and they opened the county’s emergency operations center on March 13 “in an effort to coordinate the response and ensure we are prepared to assist our citizens and various public and private partners.”
Brown County does not have any confirmed cases of coronavirus at this time.
Armstrong said that she and Frost had meet with Columbus Regional Health’s emergency services manager and the county’s dispatch supervisor to ensure the safety of first responders during this time. They also met with Brown County Sheriff’s Department, Nashville Police Department and with the six volunteer fire department chiefs “to discuss how we can come together to continue to serve the public, what policies need to be implemented now and to begin discussing future needs should the resources become limited,” Armstrong said.
Melissa Stinson was added as a liaison to assist with developing a continuity of operational government plan for the county and town.
A task force was also formed over the weekend of local community leaders to “develop a plan to address the needs of our most vulnerable and at-risk citizens.” That led to creation of Brown County’s Community Organizations Active in Disaster, or COAD.
“Once we get through this initial response, we’ll be able to work to get them to be a recognized state response through all of this, so in the future we’ll be able to use them for other emergencies that may arise in the county as well,” Armstrong said.
The COAD help hotline is 812-988-0001 and there is also a Facebook page.
Courts and public safety
The commissioners also discussed how the judicial system is going to work during the pandemic to “maintain our public safety and judicial services.” Biddle read the Brown County Circuit Court COVID-19 response by Judge Mary Wertz. Below is that document in its entirety.
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Paying county workers
The commissioners approved their first health pandemic emergency closing policy in an emergency meeting on March 16. It states that when county facilities are officially closed by the commissioners for health pandemic conditions, all county employees affected by the closing will be paid. Temporary, seasonal and part-time employees will be paid for hours regularly scheduled to work.
The newest amendment also states that employees will still accrue vacation, sick and holiday pay.
It also states that during any health pandemic emergency closure, the commissioners will “establish restricted travel policies, meeting protocols and health precautions for employees and facilities. The county commissioners may establish protocols to reduce employee exposure to the public.”
The commissioners will identify essential employees who will be required to work or telecommute during the health pandemic emergency closing. “Essential employees that are required to work will receive additional straight time pay or compensatory time for all hours worked,” the policy states.
Helping connect
At the end of the meeting, a person on Facebook asked if there was anything the county could do provide internet access to folks who are required to stay home.
Jane Ellis, who is helping to lead the COAD, said the school district is working on allowing people to connect to their WiFi if they pull up to any school building. Ellis encouraged people to check out the COAD Facebook page for updates on where an internet connection can be accessed during this time.
“We’re even talking about reaching out to the restaurants to see if they have WiFi passwords and if they can release them to us. We’re looking at some places where people can go to get internet services,” Ellis said.
The Brown County Public Library is also allowing people to connect to their WiFi from their parking lot, Armstrong added.
