Todd County declares a Local Emergency
by Karin L. Nauber
In a press release from Todd County on Monday, March 23, Todd County Board of Commissioners Chairman David Kircher declared a local State of Emergency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota State Statute 12.29, authorizes the county board chair to declare a local emergency for up to three days, at which time a majority of the full county board must agree to extend such local emergency or allow it to expire.
Extending this declaration of local emergency will be addressed at an emergency meeting of the county board to be held on Tuesday, March 24 at 9 am.
At this time, Todd County has no known cases of the COVID-19 virus.
A declaration of a local emergency invokes necessary parts of the county’s emergency response and recovery plan to authorize aid and assistance under those plans. This allows the County to act quickly without compliance with time-consuming procedures and formalities prescribed by law pertaining to: the performance of public work, entering into contracts, incurring of obligations, employment of temporary workers, rental of equipment, purchase of supplies and materials, and the appropriation and expenditure of public funds to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Todd County.
The declaration also provides authority for the county board to limit the size of public gatherings at county board meetings as well as other public board meetings in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in such circumstances.
It also allows meetings to happen via telephone conferencing or other electronic means.
In order to continue to provide maximum public transparency, the declaration also includes a requirement to live-stream county board meetings and other public board meetings. A link will be provided on the Todd County website to access the live stream. You can find the county website at:www.co.todd.mn.us.
County offices were closed to the public last Wednesday, March 18th, but services continue to be provided through e-mail, phone, online and drop box access. At this time, District Court and court proceedings are still accessible through secured access and the Todd County Transfer Station remains open with limited services to the public.
Employees will continue to be available to help the public via e-mail, phone, online and drop-box. Please call 320-533-4643 or e-mail us at tcadmin@co.todd.mn.us if you need assistance in directing inquiries or calls.