Aug. 10 Update from CAO

Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

While the last couple weeks we’ve seen some encouraging trends with COVID-19, it’s clear we’re not headed to a rapid, widespread reopening. In particular, it appears most schools will at least start the fall semester with virtual instruction.

This is not what anyone wants for our kids. And I understand this is a tremendous challenge for the parents in our workforce. A lot of you made it work through the spring semester. Few of us expected then that this would extend into fall. It’s one thing to juggle a job and children at home short-term, another to keep it going with no clear end in sight. This really is turning into a marathon, and the various closures and restrictions continue to be a strain on everyone, not just parents of school-age children.

I want you to know we will do our best to work with you to get through this. We provide services that are vital to our community, so we can’t accommodate every situation. But we will continue to provide flexibility where we can to help you manage the difficult circumstances you’re facing. Your supervisors are managing a lot of special staffing situations so please work closely with them, tell them what you need and give them as much notice as you can of schedule impacts.

In general, let’s all keep helping each other out. Some folks will get used to the current conditions; others will find this more difficult as time goes on. Check on your co-workers or friends you haven’t been able to see, ask how they’re holding up. Please remember to take care of yourself. 

It helps to remember the goal of all these actions: to protect the public’s health. That’s turning out to be a more protracted fight than we’d hoped. But it remains as essential as any effort at the County to serve our residents.

All the ways we serve our community are taking center stage this week with our public budget hearings. Given current events, we expect a lot of participation with our Wednesday evening session, and I appreciate the work of many of you getting ready for this.

Stay strong, stay safe!