WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Council met at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, and passed an emergency ordinance to declare a 60-day state of emergency in Fairfield County due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The ordinance became effective immediately.
The following includes the details the public should be aware of. The complete story is in today’s (Thursday, March 19) issue of The Voice.
New information will be posted on here as it becomes available.
Fairfield County Council, by the power granted to it by the South Carolina Constitution and General Assembly through Home Rule, hereby declares, enacts, ordains, and orders the following:
- By the power granted in South Carolina Code of Laws § 4-9-130, Fairfield County Council hereby declares a local state of emergency effective March 18, 2020.
- That all protection measures available to Fairfield County for health and safety response be utilized and made available in order to preserve life and property.
- That the County work closely with Federal, State, Local, School District and Utility officials to ensure a concerted effort of response during the state of emergency.
- That the Administrator continuously dialogue with local elected officials to establish reasonable and amenable plans of action for their statutory functions and service.
- That the Administrator modify personnel policies during the term of the emergency to ensure essential public services are met but also limiting unnecessary county sponsored travel, protecting personnel by utilizing liberal leave for quarantine and isolation, modifying sick time policies for those individuals who are immune suppressed, infected , otherwise need isolation for suspected infection, or have no other means to care for their K-12 children who are subject to State ordered public school closings, and authorizing remote access to the workplace by employees if the assigned duties allow.
- That the Administrator temporarily suspend or alter board, commission, committee, or other similar meetings or authorize remote attendance electronically, temporarily alter open hours or close certain County facilities, and other temporary measures that prohibit the unnecessary congregation of people in keeping with CDC social distancing preventative measures.
- Designate the use of emergency procurement and the fund balance, if necessary, and authorize the Administrator to allocate funding to emergency expenditures attributable to the departments necessary during the state of emergency. Any emergency allocation will not require an ordinance during the state of emergency and will be reflected in subsequent budget amendments; the Finance Director will report periodically on monies spent during the state of emergency.
- That the Chairman of Fairfield County Council will have the authority to postpone and/or reschedule meetings and provide for remote or virtual attendance and public access to meetings during the declared state of emergency in accordance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
- This ordinance will remain in effect for sixty (60) days unless sooner terminated by Fairfield County Council.
- If any section of this ordinance is declared invalid by a court or found to be in conflict with sound legal principle or law, then the remaining portions of the ordinance will remain in effect.
- This ordinance expressly takes precedence over and supersedes any other Fairfield County ordinance for the duration of the term provided herein.
- This emergency ordinance is effective immediately.