GC council approves 100 percent emergency pay for employees

GRUNDY CENTER- After consulting with city attorney Seth Schroeder, the Grundy Center city council voted unanimously to approve 100 percent pay for all city employees who qualify for medical leave as a result of recent federal legislation meant to address the Coronavirus outbreak during an emergency meeting on Friday morning.

The council, which used a teleconferencing service to host the meeting, went beyond the federal requirement, however, in guaranteeing wages at 100 percent. The federal law requires 100 percent pay for employees (up to $511 per day or $5,000 over a two-week period) who are either self-quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19, advised to self-quarantine by a medical professional or experiencing symptoms. The law only requires 2/3 pay if an employee is caring for someone under an isolation order, caring for a son or daughter due to the closure of a school or daycare or experiencing any other substantially similar condition ($200 per day up to $2,000).

According to Schroeder, first responders can be excluded under the law because of their essential nature, but council members and Mayor Al Kiewiet indicated that they would not be in favor of such a move.

“In a town the size of Grundy Center, I don’t think we can really exclude anybody because everybody’s essential and everybody should be covered,” Kiewiet said.

Ultimately, a motion to approve 100 percent pay passed by a 4-0 vote (Amanda Grineski was absent), and the council then voted 3-1 to approve a BIG Grant for Jill Krausman at the Landmark Bistro, with Butch Kuester dissenting.

The council did not decide whether the next regular meeting will be held by teleconference or in person, and the status of the primary and general elections remains in question. A scheduled blood drive to be held at the community center has already been canceled.