MANCHESTER, NH – On March 19 the city will try something completely different, an experiment in virtual civic engagement. There is a Special Meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, so there will not be a chance for public comment. Going forward the city’s Info Systems Department and Clerks Office have established a system for BMA meetings where participants can be seen and heard, and there is a manageable system for public comment.
For Thursday night’s meeting Aldermen were asked to submit COVID-19 questions to the clerk’s office. There will be a public health update and all pre-sent questions will be answered. The mayor will call on each alderman, starting with Ward 1, and ask if they have any additional questions.
Also, a phone poll was taken earlier this week on matters that affect city workers (see below for questions). All three votes conducted via phone poll passed by a majority of the board.
The first vote taken by the board was to ensure continuity of pay for all employees during this public health emergency:
In light of the current public health incident related to the COVID-19 virus, the Board finds pursuant to Manchester Ordinance 33.076 (B) that it is beneficial to City service to continue the operation of City government by essential personnel only, and that to the extent that any Department Head determines that any employee is not able to engage either in the employee’s usual duties or any reassigned duties for any period of time, that employee is hereby granted a paid, special leave to the extent necessary to pay any employee up to the level of that employee’s regular, weekly pay period hours.
Nothing herein is intended to preclude the City from seeking funding or reimbursement of costs from non-municipal sources of costs incurred by reason of this grant of special leave.
The second vote was an amendment to ordinance section 33.081 Sick Leave related to the requirement of doctor’s notes during absences from work. This vote suspended the rules regarding passage of an ordinance amendment and ordained the following subsection of the aforementioned section of the ordinance (highlight indicates change):
(D) Any employee eligible for sick leave with pay may use such sick leave, upon approval of his/her department or office head, for absence due to his or her illness, injury, the illness or injury of a spouse, child or other blood relative or ward residing in the same household when FMLA leave is approved, or for the exposure to contagious disease. An employee on sick leave shall inform his immediate supervisor of the fact and the reason therefor as soon as possible and failure to do so within a reasonable time may be cause for denial of pay for the period of absence. In the case of a pandemic, a doctor’s certificate may not be required for a period or periods of more than three work days.
The third and final vote directed the Human Resources Director to work with Anthem to ensure that COVID-19 testing is covered for employees as specifically that:
Effective immediately, and retroactive to March 1, 2020, the City will cover one hundred percent of the cost of any COVID-19 testing administered to City of Manchester health insurance plan participants and one hundred percent of the cost of the initial visit at a Primary Care Provider (PCP) office, Urgent Care provider location, Emergency Department location, or LiveHealth online in connection with COVID 19.
All three of these phone poll votes will be ratified at the next meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen but are in effect now.
Future Board of Aldermen
