SILER CITY — Siler City Mayor John Grimes has signed a state of emergency for the town in response to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The declaration allows for “flexibility,” according to Mayor Pro-Tem Larry Cheek, who presided over the Siler City Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday. Grimes, who has suffered pneumonia in the past, was not present to protect his health as he is considered “high risk.”
“[The state of emergency] will allow quick decisions by Roy Lynch, [the town’s manager],” Cheek said. “He can react to circumstances as they happen and help to maintain safety for everyone.”
The board approved stopping all water cut-offs for customers and the reconnection of about 30 customers who are currently disconnected. The board will revisit this policy during its May board meeting.
The board is also reducing its number of regular board meetings to only one a month. At the same time, the board asked that staff begin investigating options for tele-conferencing its meetings. The hope would be that meetings would be able to be conducted remotely with the public still having access to join the conferences, according to Cheek.
The board also authorized the staff to consider changing town hall hours if the need should arise.
Casey Mann can be reached at CaseyMann@Chathamnr.com.