Trumbull County commissioners vote to close county buildings after hazardous winter storm

Trumbull County commissioners held an emergency meeting at 5 p.m. on Jan. 25 and approved a motion to close county buildings the following day because of hazardous road conditions and an approaching band of snow.

John Picke of the county Emergency Management Agency warned that a lull on radar was temporary and that the county would be hit again in about an hour: "Don't let that fool you ... we're not through it." County facilities director Daryl Dunnigan said crews had been out since 3 a.m. salting and that crews needed a lull to catch up. "As soon as they finish one area, it's back in a circle," he said.

County Sheriff Michael Wilson told commissioners he had been in contact with road maintenance and EMA staff and described roads as "hazardous" and crews as "struggling to keep up," saying closing county buildings was the right safety decision.

The board heard that neighboring jurisdictions, including Mahoning and Portage counties, had already shut down for the next day and that local schools were closed. The chair said Administrative Judge Rice and Family Court Judge Bludorn indicated they would support the board's decision; county engineer David DeChrystofaro was quoted urging residents not to drive unless necessary while noting his road maintenance staff would remain working.

HR Director Alexandra Dimajazi Bush outlined which roles should be considered essential: "Public safety and emergency response should be number one," she said, listing law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, dispatch, EMA, and public-works staff (plowing/highway engineers) as examples. She advised that the county's animal-control facility should be staffed by a dog warden and one employee to ensure animals are cared for but closed to the public, and said volunteers would not be allowed in a closed building. HR also said it would review the county's 13 separate union/contract arrangements to determine pay and call-out rules for staff who are asked to work.

An unidentified commissioner moved that "we close down county buildings tomorrow due to emergency weather conditions and proceed according to policy and guidance of HR on who is essential and who are nonessential for the work day tomorrow." Another commissioner seconded the motion; the board conducted a roll-call vote and recorded approval of the motion. The transcript shows the motion, the second and a roll-call; individual vote attributions in the recording are inconsistently reported and are not all clearly attributable in the audio.

HR agreed to work with the clerk (Lisa) and county staff to prepare and review a press release notifying the public of the closure and clarifying which services and staff would remain operational. The meeting concluded after the board recorded the vote and moved to adjourn.

The county will be closed to the public the next day; HR will distribute guidance to department heads and the clerk will coordinate press notification.