Dale Commission amends pandemic operation procedure

With COVID cases in the county rising, the Dale County Commission voted to amend an emergency operations procedure initially set in place April 13.

At the Dale County Commission meeting Aug. 10, commissioners approved a temporary measure authorizing the commission chairman to have emergency authority to order face coverings for those who work in or enter county government buildings.

“The resolution passed April 13 authorized the commission chairman to close county buildings and cease operations if necessary,” said Dale County Attorney Henry Steagall. “This amendment is to prepare for the possibility of additional requirements due to the recent outbreak of the COVID virus.”

The amendment authorizes the commission chairman “to have the emergency authority to order face coverings for county employees and/or the public who enter county government buildings, sanitation requirements, social distancing rules or any other temporary emergency rule intended to protect employees and the public from the transmission of disease.

“The chairman shall have the further authority to determine which county government buildings or employees to which the order shall apply depending upon their type of work and other conditions applicable to their job site or duties,” according to the amendment. “Failure of county employees to follow the emergency order shall be deemed a violation of the County Personnel Policies and Procedures.

“This authority is vested in the chairman due to current pandemic conditions as a safety precaution for county employees and members of the public who utilize county facilities only and any orders by the chairman shall be in consultation with health, law enforcement and court officials and shall remain in effect until rescinded by the commission at a special or regular meeting,” the amendment states.

“We may not like to go down this road but it is becoming apparent with all the people in the courthouse that are getting sick, the last thing we want to do is see the courthouse closed again,” Steagall said. “This is just a way to get prepared for some orders requiring masks for county employees and possibly the public in some of the county offices.

“We met with the hospital administrator, emergency management agency director, school staff, law enforcement and the sheriff to take into consideration every concern,” Steagall added.

Level Plains resident Teresa Todd told the commission that she disagreed with the proposed masking measure. “As far as mandatory masks, I do not believe in them because there is no data that shows that masks work,” Todd said. “If you choose to wear a mask that is your choice as a person. You shouldn’t have dictated what is best for your health and situation,” Todd said. “I don’t feel it is anyone’s position to dictate to the entire population what they must or must not do based on fear. God does not work in fear.”

Steagall explained that the reason for authorizing the commission chairman to make the emergency is because the law requires five days’ public notice of a commission meeting. “And the legality of it is that the county commission owns the county buildings and they can set rules on who comes into the buildings and that’s what we may have to do,” he said.

Commissioner Frankie Wilson agreed. “As the attorney said, the commission owns those buildings. It is our responsibility to look out for the health and safe wellbeing of our employees and our constituents in this county,” Wilson told Todd. “Nobody likes the word ‘mandate,’ nobody likes the word ‘fear’ but we are operating out of a concern. People are dying everyday with the COVID. Your belief is that the masks don’t work. We’ve heard data for the last year and one half. Nobody really knows totally what the data is.

“We have some positive COVID cases in our county buildings today,” Wilson added. “This is going to be us taking as a step to move forward to protect our employees.”

“I will do the best thing I know to protect the 126 employees that I am responsible for,” Dale County Commission Chairman Steve McKinnon told Todd.

“The mask is just one of the many things we do to try to make a difference. We have Plexiglas shields between the employees and customers, we sanitize and we tried social distancing,” Steagall said. “We’re doing our best to have an open courthouse for people to come to.

“It’s not a political statement. We do not know how good some of these precautions work, we understand that it’s not foolproof but it is trying to make an effort to keep everybody safe.”

In unrelated business, the commission approved the bid of the sole bidder, Affordable Lawn Care and Pressure Washing, for $25,540 a year for the grounds maintenance contract. The contract includes the Dale County Courthouse, the Creel Richardson Building, the Boys and Girls Club, AgPlex rodeo arena, Dale County Jail and impound lot, Dale County Sheriff’s Office impounds below the maintenance building, the Dale County Maintenance Building Annex, the Dale County Government Building to include the field with the digital sign, the Dale County Animal Shelter and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office Pistol Range.

The commission voted previously not to meet Aug. 24 due to their attendance at the Association of County Commissions of Alabama convention.

The next meeting of the Dale County Commission is Sept. 14 at the Dale County Government Building in Ozark. A work session begins at 10 a.m. and is followed immediately by a voting meeting. Both meetings are open to the public.