Reducing in-house staff at city hall to minimize exposure and broadcasting commission’s meeting on Facebook Live are just two of the moves Maysville officials are making to cope with the COVID-19 crisis.
Maysville City Manager Matt Wallingford said non-essential staff will be reduced by 50 percent beginning Monday, to control any possible exposure to the coronavirus. The city is in the process of setting up remote computer access and call forwarding for cell phones so the employees can work from home, he said.
The move will primarily affect those who work in city hall, since they are the only ones who work in close quarters, Wallingford said. He plans to be on the job fulltime, Wallingford said.
The city closed city hall to the public foot traffic, except by appointment, earlier this week as a preventative measure.
Wallingford said similar actions are being taken in cities across the state.
“We are trying t limit the interaction between employees,” he said. “We are doing the best we can.”
Plans are also underway to close city commission’s March 26 meeting to the public and offer access via Facebook live and radio broadcast. The meeting will be open to the media, he said.
In other developments, Mayor Charles Cotterill has signed an order suspending operation of the city’s street sweeper which was scheduled to begin on April 1, Wallingford said.
Those in violation of the street sweeper ordinance regarding vehicle parking are given a citation and “with people laid off work, the last thing people need is a ticket.”
The city has also suspended its curbside recycling pickup. Inmate work release at the landfill has been stopped meaning recycled materials are not being sorted. Residents are asked to refrain from setting out recycling for the present. And on Thursday the county followed, saying it would temporarily remove all recycling bins.
Other agencies and offices closed to the public include Buffalo Trace Area Development District, Kentucky Career Center and Kenton Commonwealth Center.
Some area banks are closing their lobbies and encouraging customers to access their accounts online and to use ATMs when possible.
At the Bank of Maysville, drive-thru lanes at branch banks will continue to offer service. However, loan applications, new accounts, trust transactions and safe deposit boxes will be available by appointment only.
The branch lobby of Security Bank and Trust on U.S. 68 in Maysville will have limited access only for loans, opening new accounts and accessing a lock box. The main location on West Second Street will remain open as will its two drive thru locations.
Limestone Cablevision and Performance Broadband have joined other utilities and signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, in response to the current Coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
For the next 60 days the cable service will not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and will waive any late fees that any residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic. The company also plans to waive bandwidth limits for the months of March and April.
The executive committees of both the Mason County Republican Party and Mason County Democrat Party have cancelled their respective county precinct and county conventions set for this month.
Many organizations and agencies have cancelled or postponed events and meetings and closed doors to their facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone planning to attend an event and visit an office should call before going.
