Editorial: Local governments are the definition of essential workers
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When it comes to some errands, the individual can choose where to get the job done.
If your dry cleaner isn’t giving you the service you want, you can pick someone else to wash your shirts. If the corner bakery you favor isn’t open, you can still pick up doughnuts at the grocery store.
But when it comes to government, that’s just not an option.
If you have to pay your taxes, you can’t just go to the next municipality over. You can’t go to the state if the county commissioners aren’t available. One office or agency is not a swap for another, like visiting a different branch of a franchise. While they may have relationships, they still stand on their own.
This is nothing new. Government has always been this odd chain of links that are independent circles that just so happen to interlock.
The coronavirus pandemic is showing how those links can weaken.
After 18 months of rising and falling waves of covid-19 infections interspersed with restrictions and responses to try to mitigate the risks, another crest is happening. The delta variant is showing rising numbers, while vaccination has plateaued and mask debates are raging once again.
At the same time, government services can be affected by it all.
The most obvious examples are schools. As schools have opened in recent weeks, announcements of covid cases are complicating the return. So are protests — pro and con — of local policies and now the state Department of Health’s mask mandate that goes into effect Tuesday.
But other offices are being hit, too. In Springdale Township, the municipal building closed to in-person visits because of covid. Township Commissioners President Anthony Rozzano said the building “is still functioning” but with only employees in the offices out of precaution because of the increased numbers. Employees are working with residents who need to make drop-offs or pick-ups or call in to discuss problems, but just not opening the doors.
This followed a shutdown of the Westmoreland County tax office two weeks ago amid positive employee tests.
These situations are the reason precautions have to take place. If you need to get into the tax office because of a real estate issue like refinancing or selling a home, it isn’t necessarily the kind of thing that can wait out a quarantine.
Government offices and public services are not just vital to the community. They are a kind of default monopoly. There isn’t an option for a resident to take business elsewhere when the county or the municipality or the school district is literally the only game in town.
Because of that, proactive approaches like Springdale Township’s are beneficial as they find ways to support the people while still trying to protect everyone.