HomeMy Public PortalAbout1. CM Dept Report JulyMemo
To: City Council
From: Anette Spickard, City Manager
Date: August 5, 2020
Re: Monthly Department Report — July 2020
City of McCall
CITY MANAGER
1. Novel Corona Virus Response:
Idaho is in an extended Stage 4 period of re -opening under the Governor's Stay Healthy Order. The
following statement is now published on the Governor's website. The website also includes very helpful
information regarding the evidence that supports use of facial coverings and what the isolation guidance is
if you show symptoms of COVID.
Idaho's response to COVID-19 is now primarily local or regional in nature. The
State of Idaho and Governor's Office will continue to monitor statewide COVID-19
activity and work closely with the seven public health districts across the state to
ensure the health and safety of Idahoans. For questions about COVID-19 in your
area, please contact your local public health district.
Since my last department report on July 2 positive cases attributable to Valley County primary residents
rose from 9 to 51 as of the date of this memo and case counts continue to rise. 1 death of a Valley
County resident occurred. Central District Health confirmed the official case count for Valley County
underrepresents the actual amount of virus activity in our area and has warned that we should treat every
person we come into contact with as a potential positive. Central District Health's Board will consider a
Valley County mask requirement at their August 11 board meeting due to the impacts Ada County and
Canyon County residents have on Valley County. Both Ada and Canyon counties are hot spots in Idaho.
St. Luke's McCall began reporting testing data in July irrespective of residency to help show the extent
of the virus in the McCall area. (See attached) As of the date of this memo, they report 65 positive tests
out of 1,305 administered since they began tracking data in early April, or a 4.98% positivity rate overall
which is just under the 5% positivity rate that triggers more aggressive strategies to slow the spread of
the virus as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. When you view the data on the
attachment, you will see the positivity rate by day has fluctuated over the past month. Their dashboard
along with other information is regularly updated at this location:
https: //www. stlukesonline. org/blogs/st-lukes/notes-and-announcements/2020/jul/st-lukes-covid-19-
resuming-services-resources-for-patients.
Monthly Depai anent Report — City Manager
On July 1, the Council utilized the authority granted by the City's Emergency Powers Ordinance No.
986 and adopted Resolution 20-12 to implement a 30-day mandate for facial coverings in indoor public
places and outdoor places where 6 feet of physical distance cannot be achieved, with certain exceptions
granted. On July 30th the Council adopted Ordinance 991 to amend the enforcement provision of
Ordinance 986 from a criminal to a civil penalty. The Council also adopted Resolution 20-16 extending
the mandate for facial coverings through September 1, 2020 based on testimony and data provided by
St. Luke's McCall.
In regard to city operations, staff are still required to self -assess their health and take their temperature prior
to reporting to work. One staff person tested positive for COVID in July necessitating a quarantine of that
person and three others in compliance with CDH and CDC guidelines. Another staff person is currently
quarantined due to a household member with a positive test. We continue to maintain essential operations
through a combination of remote work assignments, staggered shifts and continued use of the City's Public
Health Emergency Policy to address non -essential travel, self -isolation requirements, paid leave
parameters, and social distancing expectations. The Incident Command Team is only meeting as needed
and is focused on ensuring PPE supplies are available. Expenses related to the corona virus response are
being tracked for reimbursement from either the CARES Act or FEMA.
In addition to the regional COVID Task Force weekly telephone update, I participate in the St Luke's
McCall weekly Adaptive Recovery Collaborative meetings to ensure coordination of information and
resources during the pandemic. I met with the Superintendent of the McCall Donnelly School District to
discuss the city's mask requirement and their reopening plans. The School Board will discuss their
reopening plans on August 3 and August 10.
2. CARES Act for Law Enforcement Update:
The Governor asked cities and counties to submit our estimate of 100% of our law enforcement costs
between March 1 and December 31, 2020 per guidelines developed by his Budget Office for distribution
of CARES Act Funds. The City submitted our estimate of $720,000 per Council direction. The State has
set aside a fixed amount of CARES Act for this program that will not fund 100% of every community's
requests. The State calculated a pro-rata share that cities and counties would be eligible for and notified
McCall that if it chooses to participate in the program, it is eligible to receive 42% of our original estimate
or $302,400. It is important to note that if Council decides to participate in the program and receive that
money, 97% of it is to be passed through to property owners in the form of a tax credit on their property
tax bill. The City does not get to keep that money. The program is designed as a way to pass through the
CARES Act money to the taxpayers, not as funds to be kept by the local governments. The City Treasurer
is calculating how much that tax credit will be so we can discuss with the Council whether McCall should
participate in the program. In addition, a lawsuit was filed in July against the Governor's office by Bonner
County alleging that the distribution of CARES Act funds by this method is illegal and so it is unknown at
this time whether this program will actually happen or not. Staff is also waiting to hear from the State Tax
Commission how this program will impact Urban Renewal districts and what method will be used to hold
Urban Renewal districts harmless.
3. Human Resources Update:
Human Resources (HR) staff is preparing for the City's annual open enrollment process for employee
benefit elections and is working with our insurance providers on virtual methods for distribution of updated
information and assistance to employees for selection of any benefit program changes.
Monthly Depai anent Report — City Manager