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County ramps up re-open plan

by JENNIFER PASSARO
Staff Writer | April 29, 2020 1:00 AM

Kootenai County plans to open its governmental doors Monday.

Meeting Tuesday, county leaders started figuring out the finer points of putting Gov. Brad Little’s four-phase plan into action, re-opening Idaho.

“How do we as elected officials plan to implement these orders?” Commissioner Chris Fillios asked the room.

Each elected official shared their department’s continuity of operations guidelines in an effort to ramp up services limited to the public during the governor’s stay-at-home order.

Joe Johns, Chief Deputy Assessor, plans to phase in the Department of Motor Vehicles counters beginning May 4. All renewals had been suspended to mail or internet applications only. Doors to the DMV will remain locked as customers are served by appointment only until at least May 15.

“We’ve updated our office environment to have panels or screens to protect the public and employees in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls,” Johns said.

Treasurer Steve Matheson strongly encourages the public to facilitate tax payments without coming into the office, but said they will continue to operate normal business hours and will now be available for the public without an appointment.

The recorder’s office doors will remain closed, serving customers by appointment only for passport applications, marriage licenses, and recordings, which are encouraged to be submitted by mail.

“We will continue to be based off of the governor’s order, at least two weeks,” said Melinda Roeder, Recording Manager. “That’s the only way we can regulate people and keep them socially distanced.”

The county has received over 4,380 ballots for the May 19 election. The elections office is preparing to receive far more by the 8 p.m. June 2 deadline.

Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said several KCSO employees have continued to come in on an as-needed basis to process background checks for retired health care workers going back into the workforce.

“We’ve got some people still working from home; some of those are more vulnerable,” Wolfinger said.

Wolfinger elaborated that one worker recently finished chemotherapy and wouldn’t return to work yet even though that job cannot be done remotely.

“I think that would be even if COVID wasn’t around,” Commissioner Leslie Duncan suggested.

Wolfinger agreed, but then clarified that the worker had been cleared to return to work by a doctor before coronavirus entered the community.

Six people are in isolation at the jail, because they either were exposed to people with COVID-19 or have come from a more vulnerable area, according to Wolfinger.

Other than those inmates in isolation, the jail is unable to practice social distancing with inmates.

“But we are only booking 8-10 people a day, instead of 30-40,” Wolfinger said, noting that crime in the county is down. “We’re assessing each inmate before they get out of the car, processing from that moment. If they are symptomatic they go to the hospital.”

After this week the Emergency Operations Center will scale back its efforts in the county.

“If we suddenly see a spike in cases, we will go back,” Wolfinger said. “One person can infect a lot of people. We are being very cautious.”

The majority of employees in the community development department will continue to work from home. The arrangement hasn’t impeded the department’s ability to process permits, as permits are up 33% from this time last year.

On May 19 using Zoom, the county will hold a waterways public hearing, its first since the pandemic began. May 19 is just inside stage two of the governor’s rebound order, if there are no significant increases in COVID-19 cases and criteria to reopen remains met.

Fillios encouraged residents who wish to comment on the waterways hearing to designate a spokesperson to participate in the public hearing, as seating will remain limited to 25 people or fewer.

Stage two of the rebound order allows public gatherings of fewer than 10 people with appropriate physical distancing and precautionary measures, until at least May 29.