Portland updates COVID policy

Portland has an updated COVID-19 policy.

Employees who have been vaccinated will have the opportunity to receive a “thank you.”

Portland City Council on Monday approved its updated COVID-19 policy and agreed to give employees who have received the coronavirus vaccine a $300 gift card.

The updated COVID-19 policy — council members Kent McClung, Janet Powers, Don Gillespie, Michele Brewster, Mike Aker, Matt Goldsworthy and Dave Golden passed it unanimously — calls for employees who must miss work because of COVID-19 to be paid for up to five days. Any leave needed beyond five days will require employees to use sick days or vacation days.

McClung had suggested last month that employees be provided with an incentive to receive the vaccine. Portland Mayor John Boggs said Monday that the city can not require that employees share their vaccination status, but that an incentive could be put in place on a voluntary basis. McClung then made the motion that employees who voluntarily share proof of vaccination be rewarded with a $300 gift card. The motion passed 6-1, with Goldsworthy dissenting.

Council also rejected a motion to share information with Indiana American Water regarding the city’s water and wastewater departments to allow the company to analyze the utilities. (Goldsworthy, Aker, Brewster and McClung voted against the motion, with Golden, Powers and Gillespie in favor.) Representatives from the company, which provides service in communities across the state including Winchester and Muncie, visited a city council meeting last month to express interest in purchasing one or both departments.

Boggs also offered a reminder that a community clean-up day is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sunday. The goal of the event, which will involve several local organizations, is to help the elderly, disabled and others who need help to clean up their properties.

Anyone who needs help is invited to call Portland Police Department and leave their name, address and phone number in order to be added to the list.

Boggs also noted that all Jay County residents are allotted two free visits to Jay County Landfill each year and that Jay County Solid Waste Management District’s Tox-Away Day is scheduled for Oct. 16.

In other business, council:

•Was asked to submit suggestions for how the city should spend its federal coronavirus relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Council plans to discuss those ideas at its Oct. 18 meeting.

•Were reminded by Boggs that the city will be seeking a Community Development Block Grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to help fund the proposed Meridian Street storm sewer project. The city learned last week that it has been approved for a $780,450 State Transportation and Stormwater Grant from the State Water Infrastructure Fund. (Golden thanked all those involved in the grant application process.) It is seeking funding for the about $300,000 it still needs for the $1.599 million project. Boggs invited council members and the public to submit letters of support to city hall to help with the grant process.

•Set residential trick-or-treat hours for the city for 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.

•Agreed to close Harrison Street between Arch and Race streets for Asbury United Methodist Church’s trunk-or-treat event on Halloween.

•Heard Gillespie compliment the city’s street department on use of its new street cleaner in the downtown area.

•Heard the following from Boggs:

—A new industry is considering locating in Portland. If it chooses the city, he said the company would bring about 125 new jobs.

—If claims remain at their current level, the city could see a slight reduction in health insurance costs in 2022.

—He has hired Lorenn Kelly as his new administrative assistant. She will start her new job Oct. 18 as she takes over for Maria Snow, who resigned last month.

—He has appointed Tisha Gierhart as one of Portland’s representatives on the Muncie Housing Authority board.

—He will be attending the Aviation Indiana Conference this month.