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2020/05/04 - Mayor's Column: This Weeks COVID-19 Update

­­­“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
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COVID-19 has had a drastic impact on the economy. In order to control the spread of the virus, many businesses have had to close their doors. This has caused a large financial impact on communities across the country. Many cities are forced to cut services and defer projects. Some are even having to plan layoffs, furloughs, and other significant moves to reduce expenses.

The good news for O’Fallon is that we have planned for these types of scenarios. While nobody in local government could have predicted COVID-19, the O’Fallon City Council and staff have budgeted responsibly. So, you may be asking what impact this is having on O’Fallon and what’s next?.  Well here is a brief rundown for you.

  • Even though all of our buildings are closed to the public, we are fully operational with about 90% of our staff working remotely due to the great efforts of our IT staff.
  • Our City Council and Committees continue to meet through virtual methods that are being used around the country.
  • The O’Fallon Public Safety Department is not only doing their normal great work but are leading the way in keeping others in the community informed of what is happening and the precautions that should be taken.
  • We continue to follow the plan laid out from our studies on resurfacing streets, replacing old water and sewer lines, and taking corrective action on major storm water issues.
  • We continue to work with our business community to see what can be done to help during this challenging time for them.
  • We also are continuing to approve new developments and recruit new companies to the area.
  • Since we know that we are going to have some income losses due to the economic impact of COVID-19, we have also taken some fiscally responsible actions to reduce expenditures such as:  
  • Halting or delaying the purchases of any capital equipment.
  • Eliminating any non-essential travel.
  • Delaying the purchase of new Christmas decorations.
  • Putting a freeze on any new hires.

But on a brighter side we are already looking at how we will begin the transition to the new normal. One day we will look back at this time and discuss the difficulties faced, the lessons learned, and the accomplishments of this great community!           

On a different note, I want to give a big shout out and thank you to the recently retired O’Fallon employee Mouhammed A Huq, or better known as just “Huq.”  Huq has decided to retire after serving as a Sr. Engineer in our Public Work’s Department for the past 44 years.  He has served under six different Mayors in his years and has the record for the longest period of service to our City.  Huq, we will all miss you, please enjoy your well-earned retirement. THANK YOU!

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open (virtually, at least)!