Coronavirus: Clovis City Council closes its public meetings, launches prevention measures
The Clovis City Council chambers were closed to the public on Monday as the members conducted city business online in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The council unanimously approved new policies for when it meets, representing something of a new normal — at least for now.
Coronavirus cases in Fresno County and surrounding San Joaquin Valley counties continued to climb Monday. Health officials in Fresno, Tulare, Merced and Madera counties collectively reported nearly 130 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
Clovis first declared the pandemic an emergency on March 16.
Clovis residents can now listen to the meetings online, which has not previously been available for the city of about 110,000. Until the pandemic is over, residents will not be allowed to attend in person.
If residents wanted to chime in on a topic, they could send their thoughts by email to be read aloud by staffers into the record. They can also call the City Clerk’s Office before 3 p.m. the day of the meeting to provide staffers with a phone number to call during the meeting.
The comments will be limited to three minutes whether by phone or when the email is read, staffers said. The city traditionally allowed five minutes for each person but the temporary way meetings will be held could come with new kinks to be worked out, according to staffers.
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck said she was OK with the three minute time limit, noting city leaders could always change it back to five minutes as they get used to the new format.
“I think it’s the right thing to do and we’ll see at the end how it worked,” she said. “Maybe some day we could stream the video.”
The new rules were implemented at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. A few comments came in by email during the meeting.
Emergency order
The City Council also formally adopted emergency orders for businesses in town. Gov. Gavin Newsom gave orders earlier this month to close all nonessential businesses where people may gather.
Clovis’s declaration ordered the closing of bars, wineries, breweries, pubs, restaurants, gyms, health clubs, trampoline parks, arcades and theaters.
The orders also allow for leave pay for city employees who can’t work during the pandemic. Starting April 1, full-time employees can get 80 hours of paid “COVID leave,” per a federal mandate, according to Assistant City Manager John Holt
“The single most challenging issue that we have faced as part of this emergency was trying to get a personnel policy that was workable and fair and complied with all of the regulations,” he said.
Another order allows the city’s code enforcement to treat price gouging with administrative fines that are levied by the city without having to involve law enforcement. Fresno adopted a similar policy this month.
Utilities
Clovis will not allow utilities, like water and power, to be shut off during the response to the coronavirus pandemic. The council asked the city’s emergency officer to issue an order to waive late fees for up to a month after the pandemic is considered under control.
That order could be approved later by the council.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 12:47 PM.
