Scioto County Commissioners asked Governor DeWine to let local officials decide when it’s the right time to reopen businesses likes restaurants and salons. That was just one of the issues the commissioners spoke out on at Tuesday’s meeting.
Byran Davis and Cathy Coleman wore masks in the meeting for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis started, they addressed several important issues. We’ll break down the four most important points.
The Right To Reopen
Scioto County Commissioners read from a letter they sent to Governor Mike DeWine. The county had requested that local communities be allowed to decide when the best time to reopen restaurants, salons, gyms, and other businesses.
Commissioner Davis said, “We’re discouraged by the the inability of the service industry to open up quicker. It’s a major toll on our employers and their employees.”
According to Davis, the letter “Asks the governor to move forward with opening up businesses and give more local control over those decisions. We know and have evidence that remaining closed is of greater harm to our businesses and our community.”
He said that some counties had made unofficial declarations. Davis said he didn’t want to head down that path. “If you’re going to say something, say it with teeth.”
Davis said Governor Dewine’s plan to reopen was not moving fast enough. “It’s slow. We need to move faster in order to save jobs and businesses. The essential employees have been doing it all along and we haven’t had a massive breakout.”
Indigent Defense
Scioto County spent $83, 564.09 to pay for public defenders in January. Of that, the state reimbursed the county $71,0029.48. That’s a reimbursement rate of 85%.
One fallout of the COVID-19 crisis was that the County save a whole lot of money paying for public defenders in March and April. Most trials were postponed.
Davis said, “How much indigent defense has happened in the last two months? Not a whole lot. In that way we have an offset.” The release of many inmates from the Scioto County Jail also saved the county some money.
However, Commissioner Davis is concerned that state budget cuts could affect reimbursement. “How much? We’ll see.”
Masked Up
The Commissioners wore face masks during the meeting. This was the first time since the COVID-19 crisis started that they appeared in face coverings.
Davis said the decision to cover up was on the advice of their attorney. He said that masks would be provided to all county employees. Masks will also be available to those visiting county buildings.
Commissioner Davis said, “There’s still a lack of them. We’re still scavenging to find masks. “You can’t hardly find them.”
He said there were no plans for the county buy masks to distribute to citizens though he realized, “Each individual citizen has to make a choice. They’re facing the same problem we have of finding them.”
Davis Not Satisfied With Election
The Commissioners are not completely satisfied with the way the election was handled.
Cathy Coleman says she had several complaints from voters. “People thought they were going to have to be mailed their ballot.” She says many voters didn’t get the message about requesting ballots. “The difference between urban areas and rural areas are vast. A lot of people can’t afford to subscribe to the paper. A lot of people don’t have WiFi.”
Bryan Davis agreed, “We had people asking up until the last day where their polling place was. That was the one part that probably impacted the most people. I think there was a lot of effort to try to get the word out. But not everybody is on Facebook. Not everybody listens to the radio. Not everybody gets the paper.”
Davis said that in extreme situations like a pandemic, it’s hard to place the blame. The government is responsible for to informing the voters. But voters have a responsibility to stay informed. “I think there was a lot of people who possibly did not get to vote.”
Commissioners praised the local board of elections for their handling of the situation. said that he hopes the general election in November will got smoother. Davis said, “They need to get ahead of it for the general election and educate the public. The sooner you start educating the better off you’re going to be.”