Board of Aldermen 03-16-2020 Page 2
that the schools transition into remote learning and today that bars and restaurants only serve take-out
starting tomorrow.
Now specifically the steps that we are suggesting that we take, and you will hear more in detail from
the Directors, is that we want to limit access to City Hall beginning Wednesday the 18", and so it
would be closed to the public and only people working for the City would be involved here. Secondly,
then starting on Friday the 20", we propose that non-essential employees work remotely, that they not
come in, that they work remotely as directed by their supervisors. Essential employees would be
required to report to work and Justin Kates and others have been working over these weeks to define
which are the essential services and which are not. And that’s all in writing, but the obvious essential
services, of course, are the Public Safety, Police and Fire and also from Public Works, the Treatment
Plant employees, we’ve got to run the Waste Water System as well as certain members of the Street
Department who would be picking up the garbage and doing other tasks. Also people within City Hall
who are required to make payroll and pay everybody that are working and a few other functions which
Ms. Kleiner can discuss.
We are proposing that you pass, and | will show you specifically, a Policy that enables us to allow
people if they are sick to be out of work without using sick time so that there is no, to discourage
people from coming in when they are sick. That’s one of the ways that the virus gets spread; is people
feel they have to come to work when they are sick. Also if people, as a result of the School closing,
have childcare issues and they can’t come in, we are proposing that they be allowed to work remotely
or stay away without having to use vacation or sick time. Again, to help the City and the employees
get through this crisis.
Specifically the Policy that we are asking you to pass is attached to the Memo from me of March 16", it
is the second page and it is entitled, “Temporary Policy on Shutdowns and Emergency Leave”. We
are also asking you to pass, under suspension, a Resolution that would transfer funds. Ms. Kleiner
can discuss the need for more funds related to technology and the licenses that are needed for remote
work as well as the servers that are required to support many people working remotely. That is the
first element of Resolution R-20-024. That is $100,000.00. You did appropriate $50,000.00, but as
they are getting into this, this is going to cost more than $50,000.00. Secondly, United Way is trying to
put together an emergency fund for the non-profits and has asked a number of institutions for
$5,000.00, a relatively small fund, but still a fund together to support the non-profits while demands on
them are increasing. So this Resolution proposes that we honor the request of United Way and
contribute along with some other institutions to that emergency fund.
Finally, of course, we still face issues with our public schools. The Governor and the Educational
Commissioner announced Sunday that there are transitioning to remote learning. A lot of questions
about how that might work; a number of families do have the capability, computers and the like,
Internet to have the kids learn remotely. But many families do not. When the Commissioner was
asked, “Well how does that work for people who don’t have computers”; he said analog learning,
analog connection. And | thought, “Well what does that mean”. And when | asked the Superintendent
that question, that means paper. Analog means paper, not computers. So certainly there are some
issues that need to be worked through there if we possibly can do that. So we are going to be talking
with the School Department about how that might be accomplished.
Also, for the remote learning for young kids, really may not be realistic. How can a second grader
really learn over the Internet, reading and the like? A question that | haven't yet put to our City
Attorney, but | will, I’m not asking him to answer now, but simply to come back with some thoughts on
it later on. Is some of this an unfunded mandate which would require reimbursement under the State
Constitution by the State of New Hampshire?
