Johnson Co. mandates COVID vaccine or weekly testing for county employees beginning Jan. 3

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 12/7/21

Johnson County employees face mandated Covid vaccinations or weekly testing by January 3 under a policy that became effective this week.

The policy, which was narrowly approved by the Johnson …

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Johnson Co. mandates COVID vaccine or weekly testing for county employees beginning Jan. 3

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Johnson County employees face mandated Covid vaccinations or weekly testing by January 3 under a policy that became effective this week.

The policy, which was narrowly approved by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors at its formal meeting December 2, faced controversy at the board’s sessions last week and also faces likely revisions in the near future because of pending legal action and possible federal recommendations linked to booster vaccinations.

The policy became effective December 3. Employees have until December 13 to provide the county with vaccination status. The deadline for full vaccination is December 30.

The question of a religious-based exemption resulted in three separate votes by the board. The final vote approved the policy by a 3 to 2 vote, with former Lone Tree mayor Jon Green and longtime supervisor Rod Sullivan voting against it.

Green’s motion to not include a religious exemption initially passed by a 3-2 vote, but then his amendment to the proposed policy failed when the policy was rejected by a 3-2 vote.

Facing the prospect of having no policy in place, the board then took another vote, minus the amendment to nullify the religious exemption, and approved the policy by a 3-2 vote. Supervisor and Vice Chair Royceann Porter voted for Green’s amendment, but then voted for the policy without the amendment attached. Also voting for the policy were Chair Pat Heiden and Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass.

Sullivan strongly voiced his opposition to the exemption in both the work and formal sessions.

“I just don’t have any time for people who are not going to do this basic safety thing,” Sullivan said at the December 1 work session. “If you don’t want to do it, then don’t work here… Frankly, I don’t give a damn about your strongly held beliefs, just like you shouldn’t give a damn about mine. We’ve got a lot of mores and rules and procedures that we have to keep this county functioning, and that’s what we should be going by.”

The policy also has a medical exemption for those who cannot be vaccinated. Sullivan and Green both did not object to that.

The policy mandates county employees to be fully vaccinated by December 30, unless they have filed an exemption. Beginning January 3, unvaccinated employees must be tested weekly and they cannot begin work until a negative test is returned.

The board agreed that unvaccinated employees, not the county, will pay for the tests.

The policy was put in place due to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation that requires employers with over 100 workers to compile a roster of vaccinated employees. The federal law originally called for a December 5 deadline, but a number of legal challenges has led OSHA to temporarily suspend enforcement.

A mask mandate is currently in place in all Johnson County buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

Case numbers in Johnson County have risen over the last month. As of Saturday, Dec. 4, the number of cases in the county was 372 and the positivity rate was 11.26%.

Among other action, the board approved a Fiscal Year 2022 fall budget amendment calling for $35.4 million in additional spending and $17.4 million in additional revenue, and passed a resolution establishing Johnson County as a Home Base Iowa community, a program that connects veterans, active military and their families with resources in Iowa.

The board will vote this week on an expanded funeral assistance program. The proposal raises maximum benefits for cremation/burial and cemetery costs to $4,200 from the current $3,000.

The number of those qualifying for assistance would also go up from the current 100% of federal poverty guidelines to 175%. Currently, the income limit for a two-person household is $17,420. The revised assistance program would push that past $30,000.

The board also issued a proclamation in honor of Human Rights Month.