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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL – MAY 28, 2020 3 <br /> <br />City Administrator Perrault stated that he had drafted a schedule that staff was comfortable <br />with and that appropriate social distancing would continue. He noted that there are generally 17 <br />total employees at City Hall. He asked for further Council direction regarding whether or not to <br />reopen City Hall either in a reduced or full capacity. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden asked for clarification as to why there is the need to increase staffing in <br />the office. <br /> <br />City Administrator Perrault stated that most staff indicated they are willing and ready to come <br />in to the office as they feel they can be more productive. He noted that working remotely presents <br />challenges as processes for certain functions that are more complex may require manual work. He <br />noted that no complaints have been received about staff not completing work and that building <br />permits have continued as normal. He concluded that it is not that work is not being completed <br />but rather that it is more complicated for staff to perform some processes remotely. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden asked how many days staff has to issue a permit, noting the permit most <br />likely does not have to be issued the same day. <br /> <br />City Administrator Perrault stated that there is a customer service expectation, especially if a <br />permit application is submitted on a Friday for work to be completed on the weekend. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holmes stated she would like clarification regarding the Governor’s stay safe <br />order for critical businesses. She noted the June 1 order says that people must continue to <br />telework if they can. <br /> <br />City Administrator Perrault confirmed that the city is considered an essential service. He said <br />that he is attempting to find middle ground regarding what other cities are doing as some have <br />never closed their doors to the public and others are planning to stay closed until August or <br />September. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holmes stated she prefers to follow the Governor’s order and to have staff <br />continue to work remotely as much as possible. <br /> <br />Councilmember Scott said he would be inclined to open City Hall on a limited basis but did not <br />want to force anyone to come in to work if they did not feel safe. He wanted to ensure the <br />public’s perception is that the city wants to accommodate their needs. He stated he understands <br />that not all staff have a public facing role but would like to see City Hall open with limited <br />staffing that is left up to the discretion of the City Administrator. <br /> <br />Mayor Grant expressed concern over reopening the doors to the public at this time. He suggested <br />keeping staffing under 10 but preferably at 8 total in the office at a time, that staff not work within <br />the same room and for those that do not have an office but instead a cube, there be only one <br />person there at a time. <br /> <br />Councilmember McClung stated he works for a State agency and that the entire agency is <br />considered essential, noting they are to telework through the end of the calendar year. He agreed <br />that the expectation per the Governor’s order is that when work can be done from home it is to be