Hoover mayor makes staff adjustments, tightens fiscal controls due to coronavirus

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato today issued an executive order with directions for city departments that are designed to protect the public and city employees as the new coronavirus makes it way through the community.

The executive order includes changes in city employee work schedules and locations and fiscal belt-tightening measures to help the city manage expected negative economic impacts.

To coincide with advice from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention and Alabama Department of Public Health to minimize social contact, Brocato directed department heads to determine which functions they perform can be conducted remotely and to identify key personnel whose availability is required if everyone else is sent home.

He also directed each department to clearly designate the person who is second in command and to divide their key staff into two groups to facilitate staggered scheduling.

City staff will avoid face-to-face meetings where possible and communicate through conference calls, email, video conferencing and other methods, according to the order.

The city has implemented more aggressive cleaning measures at city buildings, identified outside vendors for enhanced cleaning should that become an issue, surveyed stockpiles of medical equipment and ordered additional equipment, Brocato said in his order.

City officials are keeping in contact with state and county health departments and emergency management agencies, and Brocato said he is meeting this week with other Jefferson County and “over-the-mountain” mayors and will be meeting in 10 days with the mayors of Alabama’s 10 largest cities.

“We are assimilating all the information we receive and are sharing best practices with each other to provide for a coordinated and effective response,” Brocato said.

Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis said police are in the process of reorganizing their schedules and practices to limit officer exposure. For example, some police reports will be taken over the phone instead of in person, he said.

Of course, officers will continue to respond in person when necessary, but “we just don’t want all of our people to come into contact with something that’s going to put us out of work,” Derzis said. “We’ve got a job to do 24/7, 365.”

Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley said his paramedics and firefighters are trained in how to deal with people with illnesses similar to this and will follow state and federal recommendations when dealing with patients who show symptoms related to the coronavirus.

Hoover 911 operators also are asking specific questions to determine if people on scenes where first responders are going are showing symptoms of the new coronavirus.

FINANCIAL ADJUSTMENTS

On the fiscal side, the mayor is requiring that all travel be approved by his office, including travel that previously was approved. City departments must cut out non-essential spending, and overtime should be limited to activities essential for public safety and welfare, Brocato said.

“As our business community suffers from an economic slowdown, we must anticipate that tax revenues will decline and we will have less money to operate in the city in the coming months,” he said.

Brocato said he hasn’t heard directly from any businesses about financial impacts yet because the pandemic is so new, but he is sure that businesses will be impacted. He plans to meet with the Birmingham Business Alliance and chambers of commerce to listen to concerns and ideas to help the business community, he said.

Additionally, Hoover Councilman Casey Middlebrooks is organizing an effort that would help local businesses, churches and nonprofits communicate extra and adapted services they are providing due to the pandemic.

This possibly could include restaurants and other businesses that now are offering delivery services as dine-in and in-store business declines.

Businesses and nonprofits can share that information at this link, to be disseminated on the city's website, social media channels and other means.

Brocato said the city is able to monitor daily intake of tax revenues and make adjustments as necessary to keep the city fiscally sound, and he doesn’t expect this crisis to diminish city services.

“This is not the first financial crisis our country has faced nor our city has faced,” Brocato said. “We are very prepared, and we understand what we need to do and know how we’re going to handle it. I’m very confident we will come out better on the other side and that we will continue to deliver the world-class police and fire services that our citizens are so used to having now.

"We will not panic, but we will plan, we'll prepare, and we will take action to manage the events happening in our world," the mayor said. "I know that brighter days are ahead."

The mayor encouraged businesses to follow suggestions put out health officials.

“We can’t practically shut the entire country down, and the only way we’re going to arrest this issue is to follow those guidelines. We’ve got to be very diligent with those types of things,” he said. “We, as individuals, have to be smart about our movement through society.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging people to engage in “social distancing” — minimizing contact with other people. In particular, the CDC asked people to cancel any events with 50 or more people over the next eight weeks.

Also, in gatherings involving smaller numbers of people, attendees should maintain at least 6 feet between one another and exercise hand hygiene measures, such as frequent use of hand sanitizer, the CDC says. When possible, organizers should hold virtual events instead. See more about CDC recommendations here.