County offices closed today and for Fridays

County offices are closed today and will continue to be closed every Friday until further notice because of county budget reductions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Affected by the Friday closures are the Seneca County Justice Center, RTA Building and commissioners office as well as any other offices, if possible. Remaining open are the sheriff's office, which is open continuously, and emergency services as well as the Seneca County Board of Elections, which is conducting voting during for the primary election. The offices inside the RTA Building, which include the auditor, recorder, treasurer and tax map office, are to continue operating Monday through Thursday as they have been under the pandemic restrictions, mainly through email and phone calls. Elected officials and department heads are requesting that residents call ahead before visiting any county offices to reduce contact between people and lessen the change of spreading the COVID-19 virus. Seneca Regional Planning Commission also is closing on Fridays but will be available via phone call or email during business hours Monday through Thursday. The Seneca County Board of Elections is to remain open during its regular hours to conduct the mail-in primary election, but officials are asking residents to call ahead before coming to the office. "It'll be at least 90 days and then we'll re-evaluate," said Commissioner Shayne Thomas. "As soon as finances allow it, we'll be back open. It would be premature to say when." The commissioners met Thursday using Zoom online meeting service. Thomas said it'll be summer before the amount of the drop in sales tax is known for March and April. "We won't have real clarity of what the revenue damage is until June or July," he said. "And then it becomes a function of the economy. It'll depend on if everything is open." He said there will be no casino revenue, which also goes into the General Fund, for the time the casinos are closed, so that portion of funds will depend on when they can re-open. Regarding sales tax, the county has a strong showing early in the year. Other positives were the county's "rainy day fund," in which they had been setting aside money as well as an expected refund of $76,000 from the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation. County Administrator Stacy Wilson said $1.9 million in cuts had been submitted to her so far, and there are a few offices that haven't gotten back with her. She said the was close to its goal of reducing General Fund expenses by $2 million. Closing the offices for one day each week has additional savings of lessened utility bills and cleaning costs. Last week, the commissioners passed a resolution requiring county department heads to reduce their personnel budgets by 20%. Salary cuts were made — along with zeroing out of the travel budget and the halving of the supply budget and implementing a hiring freeze — after the county budget commission reduced budget projections two weeks ago by $2 million. Commissioner Tony Paradiso thanked the department heads for their work. "We really appreciate the cooperation," he said. Commissioner Mike Kerschner said he has empathy for the affected employees and families. "We are mindful of their plight," he said. "We will do everything in our power to bring the county back up to full power." Regarding the pandemic, Paradiso said he received a message from Andrew Kalnow at National Machinery, who said found access to 2,000-3,000 medical masks and he is donating them to the county. He said the county's N95 masks now can be cleaned by Batelle, the Columbus company who developed technology for cleaning medical masks. Local medical and emergency personnel can take masked to the Ohio Highway Patrol, which will transport them to Columbus for cleaning. "We're getting equipment and we're getting it refurbished," Paradiso said. Thomas said Arm & Hammer also has been helpful in getting needed supplies, and there have been many other businesses who have donated. "Our corporate citizens have really been great," he said. Commissioner Mike Kerschner asked about getting test kits for use locally. "When we start coming out of this, one of the keys will be to test as many people as possible," he said. "We should make it a priority to get test kits into the county." Seneca County EMS Director Ken Majors said during public comment that there has been one positive of people not working their usual jobs. All six of the county's EMS squads have been functioning 24 hours a day. "There's been a lot of change," Majors said. "And everybody is handling it." He said several EMTs have been tested for the virus, but all tests have been negative. Also Thursday, the commissioners opened bids for the county's chip seal project for CR 3, 12, 21, 28, 29, 38, 42, 51, 62 and 592. The county engineer's project estimate was $557,771. Four bids were received: Henry W. Bergman Inc., Genoa, $514,947.33; Ward Construction Co., Leipsic, $522,620.30; Erie Blacktop Inc., Sandusky, $594,895.74; and Unilliance Inc., Oak Harbor, $529,298.99. The bids are to be sent to the engineer for review. Thomas noted that road construction projects are not part of the General Fund and are paid for through a different funding stream. "It's outside the realm of the General Fund, just so everybody's aware," he said. The commissioners approved: * A $134.60 supplemental appropriation to the General Fund, and a fund transfer in the same amount to the Help America Vote Act Fund. * A $45,000 supplemental appropriation to the engineer's Maintenance and Repair Fund. * Setting 10 a.m. May 14 in the commissioners office to accept sealed bids for a sidewalk replacement project in Bloomville. The project is part of the county's 2019 Community Development Block Grant funds. * 10 a.m. May 14 in the commissioners office to accept sealed bids for proposals for year-round programs and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs for the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services; and the same time and place for JFS non-emergency transportation services.