Immediate Directives | Cattaraugus County Website

Mar. 19, 2020

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Administrator's Office

Immediate directives from Cattaraugus County signed on March 19, 2020.

Directive 1-2020

The Department of Motor Vehicles Offices in Little Valley and Delevan are hereby closed to the public and to employees of Cattaraugus County, except for necessary maintenance and repair.

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Directive 2-2020

All congregate sites operated by the Cattaraugus County Department of Aging are hereby closed.

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Directive 3-2020

I, Howard V. VanRensselaer, Chairman, Cattaraugus County Legislature, in accordance with a declaration of a State of Emergency issued on March 15, 2020 and pursuant to Section 25 of the State Executive Law and the Governor's Executive Order 202.4, issued on March 17, 2020, by which political subdivisions were ordered to ·· ... allow non-essential personnel. .. to be able to work from home or take leave without charging accruals", hereby issue the following directive(s) in order to establish protocols for employees assigned to such leave or "work from home" assignments:

All employees who are directed to take leave without charging accruals (which shall be called "paid emergency leave'') shall receive their full salary and benefits during such leave.
While on paid emergency leave. employees shall be considered "on call" and shall be available to report to work, either with in their departments of employment or to any other position of employment or location in the County. as may be determined from time to time by the employee's Department Head. at all times during their normally assigned hours of work.
Paid emergency leave may not be used for absences for purposes other than related to the declared emergency.
All employees who are directed to work from home shall devote their normal hours of employment to the performance of their job and hall report periodically to their supervisor(s) as directed.

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Directive 4-2020

The Treasurer's Office in Olean is hereby closed to the public and to employees of Cattaraugus County, except for necessary maintenance and repair.

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Directive 5-2020

I, Howard V. VanRensselaer, Chairman. Cattaraugus County Legislature, in accordance with a declaration of a State of Emergency issued on March 15, 2020 and pursuant to Section 25 of the State Executive Law. hereby issue the following directive:

The Cattaraugus County Museum located at Machias, New York is hereby closed to the public.

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Directive 6-2020

Update per official release on March 21, 2020 Transfer Stations will remain Open

The following refuse transfer stations operated by the Cattaraugus County Department of
Public Works are hereby closed to the public:

~~Allegany~~
~~Conewango~~
~~Machias~~
~~Dayton~~
~~Five Points~~
~~Farwell~~

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the
State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

~~Only the Portville and Salamanca Transfer Stations will be open and they will be under normal operating hours.~~
~~The Salamanca transfer station is closed to all commercial haulers until further notice. You are redirected to your permitted Landfill.~~
~~Portville and Salamanca are open only to Cattaraugus County Residents. No out of County waste can be accepted at this time.~~

Directive 7-2020

The Cattaraugus One Stop Career Center in Olean is hereby closed to the public.

This Directive is effective and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Directive 8-2020

I, Howard V. VanRensselaer, Chairman, Cattaraugus County Legislature, in accordance with a declaration of a State of Emergency issued on March I 5, 2020 and pursuant to Section 25 of the State Executive Law, hereby issue the following directive(s):

A. All County officers of Cattaraugus County shall continue regular County government operations to the extent permitted by disaster or national emergency from the County Emergency Operating Center or normal locations as local conditions may dictate, and will follow the lines of succession established by local law for the continuity of government.

B. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster or national emergency, the Director of Emergency Services, under the direction of the Chief Executive, shall coordinate the performance of specific emergency functions and responsibilities to include, but not limited to, those hereinafter designated and these same officers and agencies shall be responsible for providing guidelines and training to provide an efficient and coordinated response to emergencies:

County Attorney: to render advice and opinions to the Chief Executive of Cattaraugus County, with regard to continuity of government, and interpretation, application and implementation of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, New York State Defense Emergency Act, related Defense Emergency Laws, other relevant laws and regulations and orders in coordination with the Chief Executive of Cattaraugus County, and the Director of
Emergency Services; Assistant to the Director of Emergency Services: to act as assistant to the Director of Emergency Services and put emergency guidelines into effect in case of absence of the Director of Emergency Services;
Human Resources Director: is responsible for the overall procurement of manpower resources within Cattaraugus County; maintains current inventory of personnel strength on duty and/or availability; receives and fills requests for additional personnel from own resources or by requisition through services such as Staffing Plus, Manpower, and One Stop;
Clerk, County Legislature: to preserve county records, disseminate emergency management instructions, information and news to the public with use of all available news and communications media;
Sheriff: to act as Chief of Police Services; to utilize regular and auxiliary police when in an authorized drill status for maintenance of law and order, including protection of life and property, regulate and control traffic, police essential highways and routes to protect life and property, guard vital and strategic facilities, direct the injured to medical installations and homeless to welfare installations, and provide assistance to handicapped persons by obtaining transportation and directing them to suitable reception and care installations;
Communications Supervisor: to act as Chief of Communications Operations; to provide an emergency communications system for the use of emergency and essential service agencies in case of natural, man-made or national emergency; to organize, establish and maintain a system of radio and landline communications sufficient to support emergency operations of agencies involved;
Commissioner of Public Works: to act as Chief of Engineering and Public Works Service; mobilize and use public and privately owned construction assets, sanitation and public utility equipment and personnel; direct and coordinate county-wide operations to restore or provide emergency replacement for essential facilities and public services; regulate the use of the County highway system and to support rescue, relief, recovery and rehabilitation operations, mobilize and use public and privately owned construction assets;
Commissioner of Social Services: to act as Chief of Welfare Services; to provide emergency feeding, clothing, lodging, financial assistance and related social services to those in need with local American Red Cross and Salvation Army officials in natural disaster situations and gather and coordinate information concerning missing relatives;
County Administrator: to provide fiscal advice to the Chief Executive during disaster situations and to support indirect monetary, tax and credit measures adopted by the Federal government;
Director of Public Health: to coordinate public health problems and medical services encountered within the community, including the health of the people and caring of the ill; maintains a medical facility for occupants of the County Emergency Operating Center/ Alternate Seat of Government;
County Chaplain: act as Chief of Chaplain Services; coordinate the county wide action of clergy in providing counsel and comfort to the people and satisfying their spiritual needs in administering to the dying, injured, homeless, emotional distressed and deceased;
Director of Emergency Medical Services: to act as Chief of Rescue Services; to utilize emergency squads and fire departments for removal of trapped and injured persons from danger areas and assist Medical Services in caring for the injured;
Sealer of Weights & Measures: to carry out, with advice of representative of banking, commerce and industry and other appropriate governmental officers, measures necessary to produce, procure, receive, store (where applicable), control, allocate, distribute and ship fuels, electric and gas energy, clothing and foods and feed in cooperation with the Directory of Emergency Services and USDA Agricultural Agent;
Director of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism: to assist in emergency management operations, maintaining certain data such as charts and service directories; provided comprehensive operational orders and intelligence required as a basis for operational needs; coordinate any follow-up actions taken by other sections and other services; gather, evaluate and maintain current situational information as it develops during an emergency or crisis;
Building Maintenance: to provide for the physical maintenance of the County Emergency Operating Center/Alternate Seat of Government and public fallout shelter facilities and their provisioning to include food, lodging and other necessities to sustain the health and life of the occupants;
Emergency Services Office Secretary: to obtain personnel from other county offices and direct the recording of all measures taken in relief of disaster situations and emergency situations to insure adequate documentation for post emergency uses;
County Coroners: to identify the dead; to coordinate the removal of bodies to a safe place where they may be claimed for burial by relatives and, where bodies are not claimed after a reasonable time or where bodies are not identifiable, to properly dispose of the same by burial; maintain records and submit required information to appropriate Regional or State Coordinator of Mortuary Services;
Director of Real Property Tax Services: to provide maps, charts, local governing body boundaries and other information to the Office of Emergency Services and the Chief Executive during emergency periods, post emergency periods, and in support of related training programs;
Any other county official(s) deemed necessary.

C. All County officers shall report to the County Emergency Operating Center when so directed by the Chief Executive of Cattaraugus County or upon such directive issued subsequent to the dissemination of warning information through the established National Warning System (WAWAS) or New York Statewide Police Information Network (NYSPIN) System.

D. To ensure an effective operational capability in the event of a natural or man-made disaster or a national emergency, it is incumbent upon those named in this Executive Order to prepare themselves and their agencies to fulfill their assigned duties and responsibilities by organizing, planning, recruiting and training to achieve the full integration of existing local resources of manpower, materials, facilities and services into an emergency operation.

E. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster or national emergency, or preparation therefore, the above officers of Cattaraugus County shall have the authority to assign emergency management functions to members of their staffs and such personnel shall cooperate and extend such services as are required of them.

F. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster or national emergency, or in training or preparation therefore, all County officers referred to herein shall report, as required in Paragraph C hereof, to the County Emergency Operating Center/Alternate Seat of Government, as set forth in Paragraph C hereof.

Directive 9-2020

As of this afternoon, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) in Cattaraugus County. However, as it spreads across the U.S., we have been meeting to develop a proactive plan for delaying the spread to this County. Our primary concern is for the safety of our employees, their families, and all residents.

As a result, I am putting in place the following preventative measures to mitigate the potential for community-wide spread of the virus.

Travel Restrictions

Employee Non-Essential, Work Related Travel: Effective immediately, I am banning all nonessential, work-related travel. Planned travel to conferences, trainings or non-essential meetings outside of the County shall be cancelled or rescheduled for a later date. For meetings planned within Cattaraugus County, employees shall use due diligence to hold those meetings remotely via conference call if possible.

Employee Personal Travel: Effective immediately, I make the following recommendations for employee personal travel:

Please refrain from personal travel by airplane, train, or cruise ship to hotspots in the United States as well as travel to Level 2 and Level 3 countries. For an up-to-date list of high risk destinations, refer to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html for information and updates.
If you are considering traveling within the United States, the CDC provides excellent guidance on things to consider before traveling at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.ht….

I hereby make the following directives if an employee travels by airplane, train, or cruise ship to hotspots in the United States as well as travel to Level 2 and Level 3 countries:

If you decide to proceed with your travel plans anyway, you must self-report to your department head by email or telephone.
If you have the ability to do so, you can work from home. If your position does not allow you to do that, then you will have to use sick time.
If you do not have enough sick time, then we will enable your balance to go negative, and you will have to pay it back when you accumulate days in 2021.

I will reassess these recommendations and restrictions again on April 20, 2020, and decide whether to modify the travel recommendations and restrictions.

Standard Disease Prevention Protocols

I ask all employees to:

If you are sick or have a fever, stay home.
Frequently (20 times a day) wash your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.
Refrain from shaking hands and hugging.
Use hand sanitizer regularly, after making contact with others or touching surfaces, when hand washing is not available.
Keep hands away from face - Refrain from touching eyes, nose, and mouth.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue to cough or sneeze and discard in lined trash can.
Wipe/disinfect surfaces regularly - door knobs, hand rails, doors, sinks, desk tops, steering wheels, phones, keyboards, tablets, etc.
Practice "desocialization". The Governor has directed events with 50+ attendees to be canceled or postponed. If you are considering attending an event with lower attendance, please consider the added risk of doing so. It is better to be safe than sorry right now. There is a lot we do not know about this strain of the corona virus, but it is clear that it is spreading rapidly.
I will be asking the cleaning crew to decontaminate public spaces each evening.

I appreciate your diligence in trying to slow the spread of this virus. Please be aware that things are changing rapidly. I will continue to monitor the situation and make changes as necessary. My primary focus is your safety and the safety of our residents, especially those who are at the highest
risk. We will be open, honest, and transparent as always. Thank you. Stay safe and healthy.

This Directive is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the State of Emergency expires, whichever occurs first.

Please see the link below for the official-signed documents.

Official documents containing directives signed on March 19, 2020