Legislature will return to virtual meetings

Legislature will return to virtual meetings

SCHUYLER COUNTY--The Schuyler County Legislature decided during the Monday, Nov. 9 meeting to temporarily suspend in-person legislative meetings and move to remote meetings until at least January. Board members cited increasing COVID numbers both nationally and locally as the impetus for the decision.
County Administrator Tim O'Hearn also updated the legislature on the county's current COVID status on behalf of County Health Director Deborah Minor, who was not in attendance.
"Friday we received 10 new active cases, bringing our total number to 183 with 32 still active," O'Hearn said. "We have six residents isolated and 174 currently in isolation... with a positivity rate of between 3.2 and 3.5 percent."
O'Hearn said that everything he has seen so far has indicated that contact tracing has been working, but added some schools in Schuyler who are currently remote might have to remain that way if needed.
"What should be noted is that unlike a month or so ago, cases are now symptomatic," O'Hearn said. "75 percent of active cases right now are reporting symptoms so it is of concern certainly."
O'Hearn also informed the board the state has mandated counties to establish vaccination plans that he said are due on the 16th.
"Since the news of a promising vaccine it has accelerated the need for this even more... we have heard that the state is encouraging all partners to plan for a drive-through model to minimize chances of exposure," O'Hearn added. "I can see this being preferable but doing it in the winter months may be more challenging but we will come up with facilities to do it. We have done mass immunization drills several times in the last decade."
During board updates, Legislator Michael Lausell (District III-D), said that he was at the board of elections when absentee ballots were tallied.
"It was done just as it was always done, a fair and free election," Lausell said.
He added provisional ballots were also treated appropriately.
"If it could be counted it was, if not it wasn't," Lausell said.