Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission at its Feb. 16 meeting will consider approving an incentive program for employees who receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The City Commission’s regular meeting normally occurs on Monday, but was moved to Tuesday, Feb. 16, due to the President’s Day holiday. The meeting, which is open to the public, begins with a work session about affordable housing at 6 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are instructions about how to attend:

1. View the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video

2. Register in advance to participate during either the “Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting at https://zoom.us/j/98748454242. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)

If you are unable to participate in the virtual meeting, you may email your “public comments” on agenda items or submit “requests and petitions” by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16th to: Andrea Arnold, City Manager, [email protected]

The COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Incentive Program would encourage full-time employees of the city to get the COVID-19 vaccination when it becomes available to them.

Any employee who gets the vaccine will receive the following benefits:

– Eligible to receive vacation hours equivalent to the regularly scheduled hours worked in a day (or single work shift) added to their vacation bank. The hours will be added to the employee’s vacation bank only after the employee submits proof of receiving all of the required number of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This leave will be subject to the City’s existing personnel policies related to vacation leave.

– Automatically entered into a raffle to receive a $25 gift card. Sixteen gift cards will be made available. The raffle will take place later in the year to allow adequate time for the Georgia Department of Public Health’s vaccine rollout plan to reach all employees.

– Eligible to receive one healthy credit for each dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the City’s voluntary Wellness Program.

Source: City of Decatur

“In addition to the incentive program, educational forums and materials about the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to all employees in an effort to promote vaccine participation,” Human Resources Director Tracy Carter wrote in a memo attached to the City Commission agenda.

Currently, the state is in Phase 1A of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Image obtained from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

In other business:

– The City Commission will consider extending the city’s face-covering ordinance, also known as a mask ordinance, through March 15.

The ordinance requires masks to be worn to slow the spread of COVID-19, with certain exceptions. People who violate the ordinance face $100 fines. Masks are not required to be worn inside personal vehicles, inside households that contain only members of that household, during outdoor exercise, while drinking or eating, when a healthcare worker determines that a mask aggravates a health condition of an individual, when complying with instructions given by a law enforcement officer or other individual – like a pharmacist – to verify a person’s identity, or when the individual is under the age of 10. For more details about the ordinance, click here.

– There will be a presentation regarding the city’s Beecatur Bee City USA Program.

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