Board adopts responses, policies to combat COVID-19

First, I’d like to offer my thanks to County Administrator Rebecca Carter, Emergency Management Coordinator Cody Davis, and the entire staff in our County Administration for the hard, around-the-clock work they have been doing in response to COVID-19, protecting our staff and citizens. They truly deserve a big hand and tip of the hat, and please know they and we are working hard to protect our staff and citizens.

Please sign up for emergency alerts from the county here: https://member.everbridge.net/892807736725627/login, or call Cody Davis at 434-969-4242. This is a great resource during these unprecedented times.

Tonight, along with discussing the proposed fiscal year budget (which will be addressed in the coming days), the Board of Supervisors voted to do the following:

• Confirm a Declaration of Emergency for Buckingham County.
• Change the deadline to purchase county decals from April 15 to April 30.
• Enact new protocol and policies to limit face to face and physical interaction with the public and staff, including closing the offices in the County Administration Complex and adding a telephone to the entrance to the county building with department telephone numbers and extensions. Staff will remain in the building and in their respective departments to assist you via phone, mail and email.
• Encourage use of the drop box for bill payment. This secure box is in front of the County Administration Complex.
• We are encouraging online activity (i.e. bills) and telephone communication between the public and departments, including county staff mailing documents to citizens if need be.
• Working to forgive fees for payments on ATM, Debit, and Credit Cards and encouraging online payment of fees and bills until April 30th. You can make online payments here: https://pay.paygov.us/EndUser/LocationCode.aspx.
• Not cut off water and sewer for non payment from customers for 60 days.
• Suspend the rules and bylaws of the Board to allow for greater flexibility and access. Please know this is an evolving process in response to an unprecedented public health crisis. This allows us to make some changes to how the board operates, including live-streaming our meetings, and establishing a committed telephone service and email to submit public comment in a manner to urge public not to attend our meetings unless directly involved in a matter before the board. Those submitted communications would be made part of the record.

Note that the Board of Supervisors is planning on holding all scheduled public meetings and meetings remain open to the public, though the board encourages those who have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone who has symptoms of the virus to not attend board meetings. Also take heed of any state or federal measures, including the governor’s limit on no more than 10 people in certain public places.

If you have any questions about any of this, or need clarification, please don’t hesitate to contact county staff, or email, call or text me at 434-390-7023 or email me at jmiles@buckinghamcounty.virginia.gov.

Lastly, my friends, please know that we will get through this together. And we are all in this together. This too shall pass. Believe in your fellow man and woman, our God and Savior, and always have hope. The darkest of night is always right before the dawn breaks.