Floyd County supervisors considering COVID-19 guideline modifications

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County Supervisors began discussing potential policy revisions reacting to changing COVID-19 guidelines at their workshop meeting Monday morning, and discussed the current vaccination situation with the county Public Health administrator.

The supervisors also spent more than an hour reviewing the Iowa Open Meetings Law and Open Records Law — training that was required as part of a negotiated agreement to settle a complaint of an open meeting violation filed with the state by a former supervisor.

The training was provided remotely by Kristi Harshbarger, the general counsel for the Iowa State Association of Counties. In a somewhat ironic twist for a topic regarding access, the WebEx remote connection with Harshbarger went down with about five minutes left in her presentation, because of a regional problem with WIN, the county’s fiber broadband connection.

The supervisors concluded the training based on PowerPoint slides Harshbarger had sent in advance.

The training was part of an agreement between the board of supervisors and former Supervisor Mark Kuhn, who had filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board, saying that the supervisors’ agenda listings regarding COVID-19 had not been specific enough to let people know what they would be discussing.

The supervisors’ meetings agendas have been much more specific since the complaint process began, with topics such as COVID-19 and the county law enforcement center and courthouse updates project including detailed items to be discussed and/or acted upon.

The agenda item for the COVID-19 discussion at the Monday morning workshop meeting was: Discussion regarding COVID-19 related topics, included but not limited to: a) signage regarding use of masks; b) screening criteria; c) Infectious Disease Action Plan; d) water fountains.

No decisions were made at the workshop meeting, but the topics are on the agenda again for possible action at Tuesday’s regular meeting, at 1 p.m. in the courthouse Assembly Room.

Current courthouse policy had been to require visitors to the courthouse to screen themselves for COVID-19 exposure risks and it recommended mask usage.

Gov. Kim Reynolds last week signed legislation passed by the Iowa Legislature that forbids Iowa schools, cities and counties from requiring face coverings, although businesses may still require masks at their discretion.

Many businesses have relaxed mask restrictions, now allowing people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to go without masks but still urging those who have not been vaccinated to wear one.

Supervisor Chair Linda Tjaden suggested using similar signage, saying that vaccinated persons can go without masks but masks are recommended for those who are not vaccinated.

Gail Arjes, Floyd County Public Health Administrator, said one problem is that there is no way to tell for sure who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t.

“You can’t ask them to present a card,” she said.

Supervisor Roy Schwickerath said he would still be in favor of a sign.

The court system has its own guidelines for people in the courthouse courtrooms. The Iowa judiciary updated its guidelines May 14 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines.

The new Iowa court guideline says, “Fully vaccinated people entering court-controlled areas are not required to wear face coverings. … . The face covering requirements of (a previous judicial order requiring masks in the courtroom) otherwise remain in effect for unvaccinated people.

“Judges shall inform attendees at the start of court proceedings that those who have been fully vaccinated may remove their face coverings, leaving to attendees to provide for their own compliance,” the order from the Iowa Supreme Court said.

Regardless if the supervisors decide to replace the signs with new language, they tentatively agreed to remove the current signage as no longer applicable.

The board also discussed whether to modify its current infectious disease policy for county employees.

Arjens said the guidelines from the state to schools are to treat COVID-19 like other illnesses, with procedures for specific diseases as required, similar to what the schools would do with students or staff with influenza or measles or other communicable diseases.

Tjaden went through some suggested changes that she and County Auditor Gloria Carr had made in the current policy to make it non-specific for COVID but for any infectious disease situation.

The policy, which deals mostly with county employee work guidelines and situations, would only apply when an infectious disease situation is declared.

Tjaden asked the other board members if they felt the county needed to have a policy in place at all.

Schwickerath said the policy put the county ahead of where it was more than a year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning.

“To just throw this away I think would be a mistake,” he said.

Tjaden said a decision doesn’t have to be made at Tuesday’s meeting, but it is on the agenda.

The board also discussed whether drinking fountains should be turned back on in the courthouse.

Arjes advised against it, since the fountains are the type where people drink directly rather than fill water bottles.

‘We still have positive (COVID) cases in the county and we’re not where we want to be with vaccinations, so I’d keep them off,” she said.

Carr said the county has looked into the possibility of retrofitting the fountains to allow them to fill water bottles, but determined that isn’t possible and they would need to be replaced.

Some of the fountains in the new atrium and the law enforcement center are the type that allows filling water bottles, she said.

Also at the meeting Monday, the supervisors:

• Received an update on the law enforcement center project. Superintendent Brian Shindelar said the paving is nearly complete and sidewalks will be poured next; security doors and cameras are being tested and training for county Sheriff’s Office employees could begin soon, possibly this week.
• Agreed to switch from WebEx to Zoom for virtual meeting access.
• Acknowledged notice from Sheriff Jeff Crooks that April Watenphul will begin a new position as an administrative assistant starting May 31, and Caitlyn Patrie has been promoted to jail administrator, Watenphul’s former position, to start May 31.