BY MARGARET DAMGHANI
Mayor Ken Marshburn called an Emergency Town Council meeting for 11:00 Sunday March 15th to discuss directives from the Governor’s Office after the declaration of a State of Emergency and to outline planning for the town in regards to protecting citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The majority of the meeting allowed for council members to ask questions and voice concerns ahead of decisions that will need to be made in the coming week.
Top concerns for residents were highlighted as continuity of services provided by first responders and solid waste should departments have large numbers of quarantined employees, as well as the community impact of school closures, the cancelling of senior center programming and disruptions to programs like Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels will begin a grab-and-go format beginning March 17, however concerns about transportation and social needs remain.
Town Manager Rodney Dickerson related to the Council that staff has taken direction from various agencies such as the Wake County Division of Public Health and the Wake County Emergency Operation Center since late last week.
Key decisions so far surrounded the cancellation of town sponsored events and private events of over 100 participants held at town facilities through April 15, as directed by the Governor and enforceable by law. The town has put in travel restrictions and is working with their IT department to accommodate telecommuting and leave for town employees while maintaining continuity of services, as well as implementing extra cleaning procedures for town facilities.
Interim Police Chief Joe Binns said that the police department has reserve officers working from home so that employees can be rotated if need be. They have also created a flyer in both English and Spanish outlining the requirements of the Governor’s directives and distributed them throughout the community to houses of worship and other organizations that are likely to have large gatherings that will need to be cancelled.
The fire department has identified minimum staffing needs and made plans to handle exposures amongst firefighters, and has existing agreements of mutual aid with other fire departments.
Other issues discussed were educating the community on COVID-19, concerns surrounding childcare and food insecurity amongst school children, and whether or not the town should consider cancelling events at town facilities smaller than 100 participants.
The next meeting of the Town Council is Tuesday March 17th at 7pm at its regular session meeting time.