4. Emergency closure policy - Laserfiche WebLink

M E M O TO: Cass County Commissioners FROM: Robert W. Wilson DATE: February 8, 2021 SUBJECT: Proposed Policy Amendment – 503 Emergency Closings Sheriff Jahner and I have worked together on this item. The intent is to amend the way closure decisions for County facilities are made and communicated to staff and the public in the rare circumstances when an emergency closure is needed. Our intent is that the amended policy better reflects coordination and mutual responsibility between the Sheriff and the County Administrator for making and communicating closing decisions. A copy of the proposed policy update in included for your review. Red stricken language represents current policy to be deleted. Blue underlined text is new language added to the policy. The amendment does change the emergency closure decision-making authority. However these decisions will continue to be collaborative efforts that often involve the Administrator, Sheriff, Commission Chair, Highway Engineer and Emergency Manager, depending on the difficulty or variety of the conditions in various parts of the County. The practical intent of the policy change is that the Sheriff or his designee will be responsible for the public safety and public messaging related to closures and the Administrator will handle the internal, employee-focused communications. Sheriff Jahner brought this item to my attention after a recent winter storm when he received considerable employee feedback about a closure decision. The Sheriff communicated to me – and I agree with him – these decisions are equal parts public safety and administrative issues. If an employee wants to question or provide feedback about the decision after the fact, that is at least as much an administrative matter as it is a matter of public safety. The proposed policy amendment has been reviewed by Department Heads and reflects input from that group. Please call me if you have questions. SUGGESTED MOTION: Move to amend Employee Handbook Section 503 Emergency Closings as presented by the County Administrator. County Administrator Robert W. Wilson 701-241-5770 wilsonro@casscountynd.gov PO Box 2806 211 Ninth Street South Fargo, North Dakota 58108 www.casscountynd.gov