Tag: county board of health

Increase of hours from 35 to 40 a week OK’d for Monroe County health administrator

From left: health administrator Lori Kelley, health officer Clark Brittain, and vice chair of the Monroe County board of health Dawne (Aurora) DiOrio.
From left: Marty Hawk, Geoff McKim, Kate Wiltz, Trent Deckard, and Peter Iversen.

Up until Tuesday night, the job of health administrator of Monroe County was paid $62,026 annually, based on a 35-hour work week.

After the county council’s action at its Tuesday meeting, health administrator Lori Kelley will work a 40-hour week, and receive the corresponding increase in salary—an increase to $70,887 a year.

Also on Tuesday, a vital records registrar position in the health department was bumped from a 35-hour week to a 40-hour week. The additional work translates into an increase from $39,622 annually to $45,282

Appearing in front of the council to make the requests on Tuesday were new health officer Clark Brittain, and vice chair of the Monroe County board of health Dawne (Aurora) DiOrio, along with Kelley.

None of the councilors were supportive of the request to make the increased health administrator hours retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year. But a majority did support making the change retroactive to July 1.

The council voted 6–1 to make the change retroactive to July 1, 2023. Dissenting was Marty Hawk, who did not support making the change retroactive at all.

Related to salaries for all positions across the county’s organization was the appearance of county commissioner Penny Githens at the county council’s Tuesday meeting.

Githens was there to present the 2024 salary recommendations from the board of commissioners to the county council.

The commissioners are recommending an increase in 2024 of 8.5 percent. That’s the recommendation that the commissioners ratified the following morning, at their regular Wednesday morning meeting. Continue reading “Increase of hours from 35 to 40 a week OK’d for Monroe County health administrator” →

County board of health turns recs into regs after university imposes quarantine on Greek houses due to “alarming” number of COVID-19 cases

After peaking at around 20 in the third week of July, the 7-day rolling average of positive cases in Monroe County dropped to about half that by the first week of August. Now, in the third week of August, it’s reached around 20 cases per day again.

Two and a half weeks ago, on Aug. 5, Monroe County’s board of health issued a set of recommendations for residential and communal living facilities, to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic virus. The recommendations also applied to Indiana University Greek houses.

On Friday, the county board of health voted unanimously to give the county attorney and the health officer the authority to convert the recommendations into something stronger—regulations, which can be enforced under county ordinance.

For example, the previously recommended occupancy for a communal living facility was a range from 50 to 75 percent. Friday’s action will cap the occupancy at 75 percent, and that will have the force of a regulation. Based on the discussion at Friday’s board of health meeting, the regulatory cap means some sorority and fraternity members will need to move out of their Greek houses.

The recommendation allowing “essential” guests but prohibiting “non-essential” guests, among other previous recommendations, will also become a regulation.

Violations of a regulation issued by the county board of health is a Class C ordinance violation, which carries with it a possible $500 fine.

The board’s action came after Indiana University announced the previous day that it had directed all Greek houses to suspend “in-person organizational activities” other than dining and housing for live-in members until at least Sept. 14, 2020.

The university’s action came after an “alarming” number of cases was identified in some Greek houses, and a letter was sent to some of them by the county health department. Continue reading “County board of health turns recs into regs after university imposes quarantine on Greek houses due to “alarming” number of COVID-19 cases” →

Monroe County board of health elevates COVID-19 health order to regulation status: $500 fine possible

File photo from mid-April of the Hoagy Carmichael statue on the Indiana University campus.

A regulation adopted unanimously by Monroe County’s board of health on Tuesday night is based largely on same the wording of an order issued late last week by county health officer Thomas Sharp. Both are meant to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The regulation takes effect at noon on Wednesday, July 22, but puts off some of the requirements until July 31. The requirement on face coverings is effective at noon, Wednesday, sooner than the other requirements. That sequence follows the same pattern as the health order did, which was issued last week.

In practical terms, the regulation has a status that allows for enforcement and punishment with a fine. Under the county code, the violation of a board of health regulation is a Class C ordinance violation. And a Class C ordinance violation carries with it a possible fine of up to $500. [Updated 11:11 a.m. on July 22, 2020. The board of county commissioners adopted an executive order at their regular meeting directing the sheriff to enforce the health board’s regulation.]

But the regulation approved Tuesday recommends that individuals, as opposed to groups, be fined $50. Group violations are recommended to be fined at a higher, unspecified amount.

The county regulation on wearing a face covering is something that can be enforced less than 24 hours after it was approved by the board of health on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “Monroe County board of health elevates COVID-19 health order to regulation status: $500 fine possible” →