Scott Erbisch, administrator, County of Marquette

By TRINITY CAREY

Journal

Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — Prior to COVID-19 reaching the Upper Peninsula, the Marquette County Board of Commissioners declared a local state of emergency to ensure local resources were being used to their fullest extent in preparation for the virus’ arrival.

Furthermore, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order 2020-21 required the county offices to take additional steps to prevent exposure to citizens and staff, Marquette County Administrator Scott Erbisch said.

“The county took its current actions a step further,” he said. “And from an operations standpoint, really limited who was considered essential versus nonessential. So the various divisions and departments went through their staffing and looked at how they would still try to manage and continue some of the operations so that the public could still be taking care of business.”

One example of the steps the county is taking during the pandemic is the new approach to board meetings. To allow the public to safely engage with the Marquette County Board of Commissioners, tonight’s board meeting will be held virtually using Zoom at 6 p.m. To join the meeting, visit the current meetings tab on the Marquette County Board of Commissioners webpage on the county website then click the April 7 meeting notice for the phone numbers or Zoom link.

Furthermore, a dropbox — which is checked multiple times a day — has been installed at the Marquette County Courthouse Annex. Materials are then distributed to the various departments, he said.

The number of on-site employees has been reduced, as many employees work from home. While access to county offices is limited, each department is still available to provide necessary services, Erbisch said.

“We also continued with the component of, if you need something, that each department will have a mechanism to answer phone calls, whether it’s someone being there, or phones being routed, or checking messages to make sure we’re still staying engaged,” Erbisch said. “Because clearly, the various different departments have specific needs that are sometimes more emergent and need to be addressed relatively quickly. So we want to make sure the county is still performing those important functions for the citizens of Marquette County.”

County services can be accessed by visiting the online services tab on co.marquette.mi.us. Those unable to complete their task through online services should schedule an appointment with the appropriate division, Erbisch said.

“I would suggest if a citizen has something pressing to call the department to see and talk with them about why they feel it’s important to come in and those can be discussed with the various divisions,” Erbisch said.

A complete list of county phone numbers can also be found on the website.

Erbisch said the county appreciates the community’s patience through these unusual circumstances.

“We’re hopeful that at some point soon this will pass … but we want to make sure everybody stays safe. And that’s the first priority for both our citizens and our employees here,” he said.

Erbisch also noted that since the local emergency declaration, the Marquette County Emergency Management department has been working to ensure the county is as prepared as possible to manage COVID-19 in the area. Most recently, emergency management has been working with the Marquette County Health Department and UP Health System – Marquette to secure an alternate care site and quarantine site.

Trinity Carey can be reached at tcarey@miningjournal.net.