The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
City staff may work from home under emergency rule
Some Lorain municipal workers could end up working from home due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, City Council is scheduled to convene March 23 for a special meeting.
The plans are the city’s latest formal response trying to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Mayor Jack Bradley has declared the city is in a state of emergency effective March 18.
The move is not expected to disrupt any services — especially police and fire protection and delivery of drinking water, Bradley said.
But he is asking Lorain’s elected executives and department heads to develop a critical personnel plan with staff who are required to report to their jobs to ensure the essential functions of the city during an emergency.
They also are asked to create a contact roster of all employees for quick contact if the elected officials or department leaders need the employees to report for work.
Bradley is recommending all “noncritical” employees be authorized to work from home or be on call during their normal work hours.
The city administration will continue working with Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio as city workers deliver food to the elderly and those in need.
That program began March 17 and had 91 documented recipients the first day.
There were many more calls, but staff are screening the requests to ensure city workers are reaching those who need it most, Bradley said.
He said he will meet again with the elected officials and department heads at 8 a.m., March 23, to update and modify plans as needed.
As for Council, the city’s governing board will convene at 6 p.m., March 23, said Clerk Nancy Greer.
The meeting will not be open to the public but will be broadcast through Lorain City Schools’ TV 20 local cable channel and the TV 20 page on Facebook, Greer said.
The agenda largely will be similar to that of the canceled Council meeting of March 16, Greer said.
In recent years, Council has met biweekly but with committee meetings that often amounted to four meetings a month.
In the coming months, Council may meet just once a month, Greer said.
City staff also are researching ways for city residents to use letters written in advance as a way to submit public comments to Council.