Officials discuss reopening courthouse

RITZVILLE — Adams County commissioners and other officials discussed reopening the Adams County Courthouse for an hour March 3.

Commissioners Jay Weise and Dan Blankenship, Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt and Adams County Treasurer Kayla Meise said one conclusion they drew from the meeting was county officials need to do a better job letting residents know what’s available to them now, while pandemic-related limitations are in place.

Human Resources Manager Amalia Perez said during the March 3 meeting she has been asked numerous times out in the community whether the courthouse is open at all. The answer is most county offices are open and doing business, although with restrictions on doing business in person.

“We’re fully staffed. Regular hours,” Meise said Thursday.

People are asked to make an appointment.

“We still encourage people to call ahead,” Blankenship said Friday.

The commissioners manage the courthouse, so it’s up to them to interpret the regulations imposed by Gov. Jay Inslee, Meise said.

Weise said Thursday other elected officials are not managed by the commissioners. While the commissioners can make suggestions, it’s up to each elected official to determine how to reopen.

“All of the offices are doing something just a tiny bit different,” Hunt said.

Weise said the issue is complicated by the regulations governing reopening, since none have been issued for county government.

“It gets very confusing. Which one (of the regulations) are we supposed to read?” he said.

Nevertheless the goal is to open “sooner rather than later,” Weise said.

“We are in the service business, after all,” Blankenship said.

Hunt said Monday if people arrive at the office and don’t know they need an appointment, the staff will try to accommodate them.

County officials hired screeners to check people coming in the building for coronavirus symptoms. Screeners are on-site Monday through Thursday. Since the screeners were hired, people have been allowed in the auditor’s office, subject to restrictions, Hunt said.

The appointment system has helped customers in some ways, allowing auditor’s office staffers to review what customers will need to conduct business, Hunt said.

She cited vehicle title transfers as an example. Some documentation is required, and office staff can explain the details while setting up the appointment.

Meise said some business has shifted online, and other people mail in their payments. There are also drop boxes for payments at the courthouse and at the county’s office complex in Othello, she said. Both boxes are always open.

Hunt said the phone numbers for county offices are listed on the county’s website and posted on the front door of the courthouse, for people who want to make appointments while access is still restricted.

“My thought is, we are here to serve the public. How do we do that? And we will do that,” Hunt said.