Five Plano city employees contract COVID-19, two hospitalized

TX – The Plano City Council received staff reports that five city employees were ill with COVID-19, with two hospitalized, during a meeting Monday night, Jan. 11.

In a report to City Council, City Engineer Nate Bullard reported that four public works employees had contracted the virus, with two of them hospitalized. Bullard said he was observing quarantine through most of the month.

“We were down two streets guys and two trucks, so we were down to just four trucks and four streets guys battling the last snowstorm,” Bullard told city officials. “Just keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers and we’ll try to push along as far as we can.”

Earlier in the meeting, Plano Police Jonathon Whowell reported that one officer was out sick with COVID-19.

In addition, alderman unanimously approved an agreement with the Kendall County Health Department to offer city resources to assist in the county’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The health department requested one city employee to help with clerical work one day a week for the vaccination campaign.

“They’re asking for our help,” Mayor Bob Hausler said. “I’ve already said that I think everyone would be on board with helping in any way that we can to get this vaccine into our residents’ arms and the folks in Kendall County.”

Alderman Mike Rennels, who is running for mayor against Hausler, offered to volunteer unpaid for the health department.

In other news, the City Council voted unanimously to retain the Wessels & Sherman law firm as counsel for the city’s labor negotiations. At a Committee of the Whole meeting after the City Council meeting, alderman also discussed designating Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery, as an official city holiday.

Alderman opposed replacing President’s Day or Veterans Day with Juneteenth as a day off for city employees. Yet officials supported offering city employees Juneteenth as a floating holiday they can opt into. Hausler referred the item to committee for more discussion.