Loading...
2020-131-Minutes for Meeting March 13,2020 Recorded 4/9/2020BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 1300 NW Wall Street, Bend, Oregon (541 ) 388-6570 Recorded in Deschutes County C J202�_131 Nancy Blankenship, County Clerk Commissioners' Journal 04/09/2020 10:01:45 AM Co I���I�II�I'II�'I�II�II�II �I�'II 2020-131 FOR RECORDING STAMP ONLY 7301-1110,0010, ',41— 1 � � s BARNES & SAWYER ROOMS Present were Commissioners Patti Adair, Anthony DeBone, and Phil Henderson. Also present were Tom Anderson, County Administrator; David Doyle, County Counsel; and Sharon Keith, Board Executive Assistant. Several citizens and identified representatives of the media were in attendance. This meeting was audio and video recorded and can be accessed at the Deschutes County Meeting Portal website http://deschutescountyor.igm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx CALL TO ORDER: Chair Adair called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: CITIZEN INPUT: None offered ACTION ITEMS: 1. Commissioner Updates - COVID 19 Commissioner Adair acknowledged the meeting was called today to provide updates on the COVID-19 public health matter. Commissioner DeBone noted that the Board will consider an Order Declaring a State of Emergency in Deschutes County. BOCC MEETING MARCH 13, 2020 PAGE 1 of 4 Health Services Department staff Dr. George Conway gave an update on the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and additional measures Deschutes County has taken beyond the Governor's declaration. Dr. Conway recommended the Board declare a local emergency. Morgan Emerson, Health Department PIO explained the definition of positive presumptive cases. Dr. Conway spoke on transmissions of various strains of virus and degrees of contact. Commissioner Henderson asked if the Board could provide additional measures of support. Dr. Conway recommends public officials and the community do not over -react and take measures to reassure people. Commissioner DeBone acknowledged best practices. Dr. Conway commented on the importance of frequent hand washing and of social distancing. Commissioner Henderson commented on social gatherings and events including the impact on our County Fair & Expo Center. Dr. Conway commented on the importance of preparation and the risks associated with large crowds, noting that if we fail to delay the transmission of the virus, we will see a much larger regional public health event. County Administrator Anderson commented on the next steps and asked the Board if they wish to consider limits imposed by the Governor for social distancing and if a policy should be implemented relative to close gatherings and meetings within our building. Another item to consider is an employee communication for preparations for potential office closures and impacts to employees (including those who are parents and will be impacted during the upcoming school closures). A communication should be sent out to employees today for guidance. County Counsel Doyle presented a Board Order declaring a state of emergency and explained the key items and impacts addressed by the Board Order. Sgt. Nathan Garibay, Emergency Services reported on state of emergency declarations around Oregon. In general, the declarations authorize additional measures for the county to better and more immediately serve the citizens. Commissioner DeBone acknowledged that delaying the spread of the virus is the best investment for the future of Deschutes County. BOCC MEETING MARCH 13, 2020 PAGE 2 OF 4 The Board read Board Order No. 2020-013, declaring a state of emergency into the Record. The Order will be in effect on March 13, 2020 and remain in effect for 60 days. HENDERSON: Move approval of Order No. 2020-013 DEBONE: Second Discussion: The Board commented on Deschutes County residents and the importance of the emergency declaration. Commissioner Adair suggested delivering hand sanitizers for the homeless population. VOTE: HENDERSON: Yes DEBONE: Yes ADAIR: Chair votes yes. Motion Carried Regarding employee policies, the Board considered employee illness and leave policies that address COVID-19 concerns. Mr. Anderson recommends sending out a notice to employees today including resources for supervisors and employees. Dr. Conway spoke on behalf of the Health Services department recommending the County addresses situations where employees do not have leave balance or situations that are not amenable to work from home to ensure employees are protected during this time and also to ensure health insurance remains in place for employees who exhaust paid leave time. Human Resources Director Kathleen Hinman spoke on leave options for employees. Our Information Technology department is working on options to better facilitate work from home opportunities and the Facilities department is coordinating handwashing stations. Ms. Hinman recommends following the social distancing guidelines. Departments are also being advised regarding travel restrictions for business and conferences. Commissioner Henderson expressed his support of the leave policy and inquired whether temporary employees are needed to assist with additional cleaning and sanitation at County facilities. County Administrator Anderson spoke on flexibility with employees and coverage areas. County Administrator Anderson asked about the use of our meeting rooms for both internal matters and outside users, and asked whether the Board supports a temporary suspension of meetings within the building. The BOCC MEETING MARCH 13, 2020 PAGE 3 OF 4 Board was not in support; Commissioner DeBone supports evaluating each situation independently. County Administrator Anderson reported that the Fair & Expo will ensure the facility is clean and sanitized for scheduled events and operate as best as we can and within the mass gathering limits imposed by the Governor. Another option that the Board could direct is that the facility to be shut down completely during this time. Commissioner Henderson asked that this issue be further discussed during the Board's meeting on March 16t" County Counsel Doyle recognized Fair & Expo Director Geoff Hinds for his assistance in handling the Sportsman's Show cancellation (which transpired just hours after the Governor's prohibition on mass gatherings was announced). Being no further items to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:43 a.m. Da of C - 2020 for the Deschutes Count DATED this y y Board of Commissioners.m� 1 /) ,a E PHILIP G. H i DERSON, COMMISSIONER BOCC MEETING MARCH 13, 2020 PAGE 4 OF 4 �wS E S COG o Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St, Bend, OR 97703 (541) 388-6570 — Fax (541) 385-3202 — https://www.deschutes.org/ SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 9:15 AM, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020 Barnes Sawyer Rooms - Deschutes Services Center —1300 NW Wall Street — Bend CALL TO ORDER ACTION ITEMS 1. Commissioner Updates - COVID-19 OTHER ITEMS These can be any items not included on the agenda that the Commissioners wish to discuss as part of the meeting, pursuant to ORS 192.640. At any time during the meeting, an executive session could be called to address issues relating to ORS 192.660(2)(e), real property negotiations; ORS 192.660(2)(h), litigation; ORS 192.660(2)(d), labor negotiations; ORS 192.660(2)(b), personnel issues; or other executive session categories. Executive sessions are closed to the public, however, with few exceptions and under specific guidelines, are open to the media. ADJOURN FUTURE MEETINGS: Additional meeting dates available at www.deschutes.or 1/meetingcalend ar (Please note: Meeting dates and times are subject to change. All meetings take place in the Board of Commissioners' meeting rooms at 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, unless otherwise indicated. If you have questions regarding a meeting, please call 388-6572.) Board of Commissioners Special Meeting Agenda Friday, March 13, 2020 Page 1 of 1 REVIEWED Qa h LEGAL COIE L BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON An Order Declaring a State of Emergency ORDER NO. 2020-013 WHEREAS, ORS 401.305 provides authority for Deschutes County to act as an emergency management agency, including authority to establish policies and protocols for defining and directing responsibilities during time of emergency; and WHEREAS, ORS 401.309, DCC 2.04, and the Deschutes County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) authorize the county governing body to declare a state of emergency within the county or within a designated portion of the county and to establish procedures to prepare for and carry out activities which are necessary to prevent, minimize, respond to, or recover from an emergency; and WHEREAS, the following conditions have resulted in the need for a local state of emergency: (a) the presence of a presumptive case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Deschutes County; (b) emergency orders from the Governor restricting gatherings, closing schools and encouraging social distancing and remote business operations; and WHEREAS, the presence of COVID-19 constitutes a high potential threat to public health, to wit, infectious Coronavirus (COVID-19) which is known to spread person -to -person through coughing, sneezing and close personal contact; and WHEREAS, on March 8, 2020, Governor Kate Brown signed Executive Order No. 20-03, declaring a statewide emergency due to COVID-19 outbreak in Oregon; and WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic; and WHEREAS, the following disruption of important services, damage to life, or damage to property can be expected in association with COVID-19: (a) COVID-19 is expanding world-wide including a declared global pandemic and a declared outbreak in Oregon; (b) County resources will be needed to respond to this threat to keep the public as safe as possible; (c) Resources related to contact tracing, disease investigation and prevention, continuity of operations, public information, and funding are expected to be exhausted; now therefore, THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON, hereby ORDERS as follows: Section 1. Pursuant to ORS 401.309, DCC 2.04 and the Deschutes County EOP, the Board of Commissioners for Deschutes County formally declares a state of emergency for Deschutes County, effective on this 13th day of March, 2020 and continuing for sixty (60) days from the date of this Order, unless extended or terminated earlier by the Board of Commissioners. PAGE 1 OF 2 — ORDER NO.2020-013 Section 2. Upon this declaration of a state of emergency the Board of Commissioners shall be authorized to take and/or direct such actions and issue such orders as are determined to be necessary to protect the public and property and to efficiently conduct activities that minimize or mitigate the effect of the emergency as authorized by ORS, DCC and the Deschutes County EOP. Section 3. The County Administrator, Local Public Health Administrator and Emergency Manager shall take all necessary steps authorized by law to coordinate response and recovery from this emergency including, but not limited to, coordinating with the State of Oregon and the federal government in order to qualify Deschutes County for all available state and federal emergency assistance, not limited to use of shared resources, assistance from state and federal agencies, and financial assistance and reimbursements. Section 4. Emergency procurements of goods and services are authorized pursuant to ORS 27913.080, ORS 279C.335(6), ORS 279.380(4), and Deschutes County contracting rules. Section 5. With regard to county employees, the Board of Commissioners may authorize modification(s) to relevant personnel leave, payroll processes, and workplace requirements/designations as deemed necessary by the Board of Commissioners to address impacts associated with COVID-19. Section 6. The scope of this declaration is in support of the COVID-19 public health response being overseen and directed by the State of Oregon; the residents of Deschutes County are encouraged to follow standard hygiene protocols and stay at home when ill, but otherwise, where reasonable and safe, go on with daily life. Section 7. This Order is effective upon signing. Dated this /3 of , 2020 ATTEST:. ecordi g Secretary BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DESCHUTES COUNTY, OREGON P TTI ADAIR, Chair A THONY eBONE, Vice Chair s i PHILIP G. DERSON, Commissioner s PAGE 2 of 2 — ORDER NO.2020-013 Whitney Hale Department Head Email: All - As we discussed at our last meeting, we've been monitoring COVID-19 related impacts and working closely with our Public Health staff to implement best practices to keep staff and customers safe. know many of your employees have questions about what COVID-19 will mean to our work. We are working with HR to set up an online resource page (available on InsideDC) that will include guidelines on COVID-19 related employee leave and illness, best practices for meeting protocols, remote work guidelines and more. I've attached a Supervisor Resource Guide here that includes high-level information on those topics for supervisors. Please feel free to share this with your leadership teams. We will be sending out an all Employee Resource Guide later today, also attached. If you have questions that aren't addressed in the attached resource material, please coordinate with Kathleen Hinman. If your supervisors have questions, they are welcome to email HR@deschutes.org. I've also received questions from some of you about potential meeting cancellations in light of the Governor's press conference yesterday and new guidance on limiting large public gatherings and more recently the statewide school closures. As of today, we are not planning to cancel BOCC meetings. However, we are working to implement the Governor's recommendations on social distancing and will encourage residents to take advantage of our live streaming capabilities. We will provide additional support around addressing school closures with staff as more information becomes available. Our continued goal is to provide you updated information as this situation evolves. We will continue to work closely with Public Health leadership and will share updates as they are available. Thanks to each of you for all you are doing to work together to respond to this issue and keep our community safe. Best, Tom Employee Illness and Leave As the COVID- 19 situation evolves, the County will continue to evaluate employee leave needs and County policies. Supervisors should following these guidelines: Please review the County's Leave Policy, HIR-14. Be flexible with employees requesting leave related to the COVID-1 9 situation and/or an employee with flu -like symptoms. If an employee is sick but feels well enough to work, please consider the remote work guidelines. Encourage sick employees to stay home. Employees who are sick need to stay home and should not return to work until 72 hours after symptoms resolve (without symptom reducing medication). Employees should follow regular department/office protocols related to reporting absences. The following are guidelines for common types of symptoms: ® Respiratory illness and Flu -like symptoms: High fever (100.40 F or higher), deep respiratory cough, trouble breathing (based on CDC guidelines for COVID-1 9 symptoms) - employee should stay home. If they do not agree to stay home, supervisor can direct an employee with two or more symptoms to go home and contact HR for further guidance. ® Slight cough, runny nose - discuss with employee. Consider options for social distancing. ® Allergy or asthma symptoms - employee choice. Employees are expected to use their accrued leave during these absences. Supervisors should suspend counting unscheduled absences and requiring medical documentation of an employee's illness for absences related to respiratory illness or flu -like symptoms. Supervisors should communicate with County Human Resources if they have an employee missing work with COVID-1 9 symptoms, high fever 100.4 degrees, deep respiratory cough, and trouble breathing (symptoms based on CDC guidelines.) Supervisors cannot ask an employee to cancel personal travel plans. However, if the employee travels, the supervisor shall require the employee to follow CDC guidelines on traveling and returning to work after traveling. Check the CDC's Traveler's Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for travel. Supervisors should share these expectations with staff and follow-up with staff exhibiting symptoms. IT* Supervisors and employees are encouraged to discuss employee plans should schools/child care facilities close (if applicable). Supervisors should be flexible in supporting employee's needs. Options may include working remotely, temporarily changing an employee's schedule, etc... Should an employee report they have health vulnerabilities and are concerned about contracting COVID-1 9 at work, supervisors should discuss with the employee strategies to prevent contraction of the virus while working. Supervisors should consider temporary solutions such as social distancing, work schedule changes, and work from home options. Contact HIR if further guidance is needed. The Information Technology Department already supports a number of employees who use remote access. IT staff will work with departments to increase the capacity for additional remote access users. Departments will need to evaluate the suitability of an employee's job functions and their ability to complete these job functions remotely. For those employees whose work does not transition well to remote work, supervisors should evaluate if other temporary suitable work assignments exist for remote work. The Facilities Department is performing additional daytime cleaning and disinfecting of public lobbies, public restrooms, service counters, and elevators. As the COVID-1 9 situation continues to evolve, the Facilities Department will continue to evaluate cleaning and disinfecting practices and frequency. As much as possible, please limit the number of items placed on public counters to allow for more efficient cleaning, The Facilities Department will continue to distribute surface wipes for use by staff for intermittent cleaning of personal work spaces, counters, door hardware, or other commonly touched surfaces. Departments/Offices can evaluate the need for PIPE (personal protective equipment) for the work performed by their employees. As a resource, continue to use the CDC's "Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019." Each department head should work to review and assess current and future employee travel conference plans. Employees with questions should reach out their supervisor first, should supervisors have additional questions you encouraged to email HR@deschutes.org asoresource. Employee Illness and Leave As the CQVID-19 situation evolves, the County will continue to evaluate employee leave needs and County policies. Employees should following these guidelines: Please review the County's Leave Policy, HR-14, and any applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements. Employees who are sick, or have someone sick in their household, should stay home and not return to work until 72 hours after symptoms resolve (without symptom reducing medication). Employees should follow regular department/office protocols related to reporting absences. The following are guidelines for common types of symptoms: ® Respiratory illness and Flu -like symptoms: High fever (100.40 F or higher), deep respiratory cough, trouble breathing (based on CDC guidelines for CQVID-19 symptoms) - employee should stay home if they, or someone in their household is experiencing these symptoms. Slight cough, runny nose - employee should discuss with their supervisor and if symptoms are in check, consider options for social distancing while working. ® Allergy or asthma symptoms -- employee choice. Employees are expected to use their accrued leave during these absences. If an employee is sick but feels well enough to work, the employee can discuss with their supervisor what, if any, remote work options exist for their department. The County will not count unscheduled absences or require medical documentation of an employee's illness for absences related to symptoms of CQVID-19. Employees should carefully consider personal travel plans. The County is requiring all employees to follow CDC guidelines on traveling and returning to work after traveling. Check the CDC's Traveler's Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for travel. Employees are encouraged to discuss employee plans should schools/child care facilities close (if applicable) with their supervisor to see what options are available. Employees with personal health vulnerabilities that are concerned about CQVID-19 at work should discuss their concerns with their supervisor and contact HR if further discussion is The Information Technology Department already supports a number of employees who use remote access. IT staff will work with departments to increase the capacity for additional remote access users. Not all work performed by employees is suitable for remote work, however should it be necessary, please discuss this option with your supervisor. SanlitizingW®rk Spaces The Facilities Department is performing additional daytime cleaning and disinfecting of public lobbies, public restrooms, service counters, and elevators. As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, the Facilities Department will continue to evaluate cleaning and disinfecting practices and frequency, As much as possible, please limit the number of items placed on public counters to allow for more efficient cleaning. The Facilities Department will continue to distribute surface wipes for use by staff for intermittent cleaning of personal work spaces, counters, door hardware, or other commonly touched surfaces. Departments/Offices will be evaluating the need for PPE (personal protective equipment) for the work performed by their employees. Keeping in mind that many supplies are limited, employees should consider proper hygiene, social distancing and reduction/elimination of in - person meetings as mitigating measures. Each department will be reviewing and assessing current and future work -related employee travel / conference plans. Employees should first reach out to their supervisor with any questions that aren't addressed in this resource material, HR@deschutes.org is available as a secondary resource.