During challenging times — in the midst of a public health crisis, for example — the public needs its elected officials to come together and make the tough but necessary decisions.
That’s why it was disappointing to see the St. Joseph County Council vote to table a proposed ordinance that would allow fines for violations of the county’s face mask order.
The 5-4 vote comes as the county is experiencing another surge in virus cases and hospitalizations that health officials say threatens to overwhelm health care facilities. With no vaccine yet available, there’s consensus among experts that wearing face masks — along with physical distancing and hand-washing — is the best way to stop the spread of the highly contagious virus.
The council is holding off on the proposed ordinance for a month, claiming it needs a deeper dive into several questions raised by opponents, as well as the possibility of an advisory opinion from the state on the measure’s constitutionality.
The tabled ordinance would help enforce the county’s mask ordinance, which runs through the end of the year. County health officer Dr. Robert Einterz proposed fines in July when the county was seeing an uptick in virus cases, and the health department was getting complaints about businesses not following the mask rule. The proposal would let the department issue fines of between $50 and $250 to businesses not enforcing the mask order among employees.
The health department and some council members in the summer expressed a desire to fast-track the ordinance, but the proposal didn’t have the unanimous council support required to speed up the hearing process. Council was expected to vote on the ordinance in September until the health department tabled it to give council members more time to hear public feedback.
The Tribune printed a Viewpoint last week signed by the four council members who were against, in their words, “kicking the mask fines ordinance down the road.”
The goal of this ordinance, they wrote, “is to keep businesses open, keep their employees safe, and allow all St. Joseph County residents the freedom to frequent those businesses knowing they are better protected from virus transmission.”
That sounds like a universal goal, yet it’s clear that our public officials can’t seem to reach a consensus on ways to arrive there. Look no further than the recent Tribune report that the “Unified Command” — the group of health care, public health and government leaders coordinating the local pandemic response — isn’t exactly unified on what measures to take. The mayors of South Bend and Mishawaka in particular are divided on additional measures to take.
The tabling of the mask fine ordinance puts off a possible council vote at least until Nov. 10. And so St. Joseph County residents must continue to wait for their leaders to act in their best interest.
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