Association of Indiana Counties

The Association of Indiana Counties (AIC) is monitoring the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and the effect it has on our global and local communities.

County government plays an important role in public health emergencies, balancing the need to give citizens accurate information without creating unnecessary fear. However, counties need to be proactive. Scenarios such as young adults returning from study-abroad programs or travelers on planes and cruise ships returning to your community, can expose your county to COVID-19.  Senior citizens with underlying health issues are most at risk. 

Stay Healthy. Stay Safe. #INthistogether

A video message from AIC Board President, Anton Neff, Owen County Council, on March 30, 2020.  

The Association of Indiana Counties is in the process of creating weekly webinars to answer questions from membership dealing with the ongoing changes due to COVID-19. We have compiled questions and worked with the appropriate agencies for answers. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

Please click here to view 4.3.2020 PowerPoint with the questions and answers. 

Please click here to view 3.27.2020 PowerPoint with the questions and answers.

COVID-19 County Operational Status 4.2.2020 9:00 p.m.    Click Here 

Please contact Elizabeth Mallers at emallers@indianacounties.org if your county has any changes/updates. 

Governor Eric J. Holcomb delivered a statewide address today to order that Hoosiers remain in their homes except when they are at work or for permitted activities, such as taking care of others, obtaining necessary supplies, and for health and safety. The order is in effect from March 25 to April 7.

The first positive case of COVID-19 in Indiana was reported on March 6. Since then the number of positive cases has increased on a near daily basis, escalating as the capacity to test has grown. As of this morning, the number of tests completed in Indiana is 1,960, the number of positive cases is 259 and 7 deaths have been reported.

Beginning Tuesday, all state government offices will be closed to in-person public activity until at least April 7. This includes the Government Center complex in Indianapolis and other offices throughout the state, including Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches. State employees will work remotely whenever possible and continue to provide core functions online and by phone. All public safety functions will continue.

In conjunction with the closures, Gov. Holcomb ordered an automatic extension of all state-issued licenses and will advise law enforcement to refrain from issuing citations for a driver’s license or registration that expires during this emergency.

The state, in conjunction with the city and all hospital systems in Marion County, has activated a comprehensive emergency operations center to maximize hospital capacity and provide joint coordination. The center is charged with tracking the inventory of all hospital beds, supplies and personnel as the number of COVID-19 patients grows.

In all, Governor Holcomb issued four executive orders:

• EO 20-08. Stay at Home. Provides for essential and non-essential business and operations, infrastructure, government services, travel, and activities outside of one’s home. Click here for answers to frequently asked questions regarding the stay-at-home order.   
• EO 20-09. Continuity of State Operations. Provides for the continuing operation of state government from 5 p.m. today through 8 a.m. April 7 with restricted access to government buildings and services.
• EO 20-10. Enforcement Directive Regarding Prohibition of In-Person Dining.
  • Directs that state and local boards of health and the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC) take all available administrative and enforcement actions against establishments that continue to offer in-house dining services, in violation of the governor’s executive order of March 16.
    • Health departments will deliver letters ordering restaurants that continue to provide in-person dining to cease such operations. If they do not comply, fines will be levied.
    • For restaurants with alcohol permits that continue to offer in-person dining, the ATC will issue an order in writing for the establishment to cease such operations. If the activity continues, the ATC will suspend the entity’s liquor license and will consider the non-compliance at the time of permit renewal.
• EO 20-11. Provisions for carryout consumption of alcohol.
  • Relaxes the sale of carryout alcoholic beverages for dining establishments. This includes establishments that allow for on-premises consumption only and those that are permitted carryout permits dependent on a percentage of on-premises sales.

Links to all executive orders may be found here: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm

The complete text of Gov. Holcomb’s address may be found here: https://www.in.gov/gov/3233.htm

Link to the Stay-At-Home Order FAQ may be found here: https://www.in.gov/gov/3232.htm

More information may be found at the ISDH website at in.gov/coronavirus/ and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Indiana Stay-At-Home Order FAQ

EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Governor's Executive Order 20-16

Education

Governor's Executive Order 20-15

Miscellaneous Govt Functions

Governor's Executive Order 20-14 

Continuation of Restaurant Alcohol Executive Orders

Governor's Executive Order 20-13

Medical Surge

Governor's Executive Order 20-12 

Further Directives Helping Hoosiers

Governor's Executive Order 20-11

Carryout Consumption of Alcohol

Click here to read Executive Order 20-11

Governor's Executive Order 20-10

Enforcement of In-Person Dining Prohibition

Click here to read Executive Order 20-10

Governor's Executive Order 20-09

Continuity of Government Operations

Click here to read Executive Order 20-09

Governor's Executive Order 20-08

Stay at Home

Click here to read Executive Order 20-08 

Please click here to read the press release on Governor Holcomb's Executive Order on stay at home. 

Governor's Executive Order 20-07

Please click here to read the press release on Governor Holcomb's Executive Order on Rescheduling the primary election due to public health emergency.

Click here to read Executive Order 20-07. 

Governor's Executive Order 20-06

Click here to read Executive Order 20-06

Governor's Executive Order 20-05

Click here to read Executive Order 20-05

Governor's Executive Order 20-04

Please click here to read the press release on Governor Holcomb's Executive Order relaxing some administrative laws and temporarily suspending enforcement of some statutes. Click here to read Executive Order 20-04. 

The governor's executive order also delays non-essential public meetings. For essential meetings, one member is required to be physically present, but other members will be allowed to participate electronically.

State Resources

Continuity of Essential Operations 

Please click here to see the memo from Paul D. Joyce, CPA from State Board of Accounts on the Continuity of Essential Operations 

Local Government COVID-19 Roundtables

Some local Purdue Extension Community Development Educators are offering a time for regional leaders to meet through Zoom to share information, questions, and ideas with each other in terms of COVID-19 impact and response. These are open meetings. No registration required. Click here for more information.

The Economic Outlook and State/Local Government in Indiana- On Local Government, April 2020  

Handout 

Be First. Be RIght. Be Credible. Meeting Local-level Crisis Communication Challenges of the Pandemic

Handout

Please click here for the Indiana State Board of Account’s audit position with respect to expenditures by units that relate to addressing the economic burden incurred by citizens and businesses as a result of the public health emergency declaration. 

The Indiana Election Commissioner’s Order:  https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/Indiana%20Election%20Commission%20Order%202020-37%20(002)%20g.pdf

Please call the IN State Department of Health Epidemiology Resource Center at 317-233-7125 [317-233-1325 after hours] or e-mail epiresource@isdh.in.gov if you experience symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath and have a recent history of travel to China or contact with someone suspected of having COVID-19.

• IN State Department of Health (here) This includes map of reported cases in Indiana. 
• IN Department of Education (here)
• IN Department of Labor (here)
• IN Department of Homeland Security (here) 
• IN Department of Homeland Security - County Travel Status (here) 

SBOA letter issued March 16 on county operations

Please read the Directive from the State Examiner of the Board of Accounts regarding timely deposits and approving claims during the emergency related to the coronavirus. 

2020 State Government Overview Report 3.17.2020

The last time a virus presented itself like Coronavirus was the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) of 2009.  During that time period, many counties created a County’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) or Continuity of Government (COG) plan.  Monroe County’s COOP plan can be found at this link:  

https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13906/MC-Coop-Plan-2011-PDF?bidId=

Contact your homeland security or emergency management director to find your plan.

https://www.in.gov/dhs/4270.htm 

Financial_Services_Sector_Essential_Critical_Infrastructure_Workers

CISA-Guidance-on-Essential-Critical-Infrastructure-Workers

 Executive Order on the Waiver of Penalties for Delinquent Property Tax Payments 

STATEMENT AND GENERAL GUIDANCE OF THE PUBLIC ACCESS COUNSELOR REGARDING THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) EVENT

Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance 

Small Business Administration Additional Information

Gov. Holcomb COVID-19 letter and workforce guide

State Examiner Paul Joyce Policy Regarding COVID-19

Gov. Holcomb Announces New Steps to Protect Public from COVID-19

Federal Resources

Nat’l Assn. of Counties (NACO) Analysis of Federal CARES Act

https://www.naco.org/resources/naco-analysis-third-covid-19-supplemental-coronavirus-aid-relief-and-economic-security-act

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus Disease 2019:  HERE
• Coronavirus Task Force national briefings: HERE
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (here)
• U.S. Department of Education (here)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (here)
• U.S. Department of Labor (here)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (here)
• U.S. Department of State (here)
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (here)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (here)
• U.S. Department of the Interior (here)
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (here)

Information from Small Business Administration on disaster relief for small businesses. 

The Administration has allocated $50 billion to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Economic Injury Disaster Loans. For Hoosiers to gain access to this funding, we need to collect small business economic impact data from every county in Indiana so that Governor Holcomb can declare an economic injury disaster. We are working diligently to gain access to this funding and would greatly appreciate your help.   If you know of an entrepreneur or small business that has been or anticipates being impacted by the coronavirus, please ask them to complete this form at https://isbdc.org/indianacovid19smallbusiness/.

Bliss McKnight

AIC would like you to be of aware of the resources, provided by our endorsed partner Bliss McKnight, on their Practical HR Resources Web site. These resources provide guidance on preventing the spread of the virus, appropriate occupational health measures, and recommended national and international protocols.

To access the Coronavirus COVID-19 resources from Bliss McKnight click here or go to www.practicalhrresources.com. Click on the red Coronavirus Alert button at the top of the page.

 

The AIC Newscenter is a resource for members, the news media, other government entities, and citizens to learn about AIC issues in the news. You are free to get AIC news in a way that is convenient for you: through social media, this Web site, rss feeds, etc.

If you are with the news media or have news tips contact Elizabeth Mallers at 317-829-3656 or emallers@indianacounties.org.

 

If you are a county elected official that represents an AIC affiliate office you automatically receive the Indiana News 92 magazine every other month and the eNewsletter. If you are not receiving these please update your contact info by filling out the online form by clicking here.

 

AIC News Resources