Most parts of Cerro Gordo County Courthouse off limits during COVID-19 situation

MASON CITY — Cerro Gordo County has implemented restrictions at the courthouse throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

The county’s director of administrative services Tom Meyer says everything on the first floor except for the Auditor’s office will be off limits, along with the basement and   third floor. The second floor will remain open since the state court system controls that floor.   “Restrictions to all the other offices, for example, third floor we have the city assessor, county assessor, county attorney’s office, and license reinstatement —  those will all be by email, phone, or hard mail. We encourage everybody if you need to do business with those offices call ahead of time and find out the best way to interact with them.”

Those having to do business with the County Treasurer’s office for now will have to use a drop box.   “The County Treasurer will have a drop box that will be open down their hallway — the halfway will be closed off, the drop box will be available for any transactions. Within 24 hours they will handle the transaction. Again you will not be able to knock on a window and talk to anybody, it will be by phone call if you have any questions before you drop something off, or to check up on something.”

Meyer says they are working to establish a walk-up window as soon as possible to allow the public to do county business.  “We’re putting a window on the south side of the building. It’s going to be kind of like a drive-up window, but you’ll have to walk up. People will be able to come there and drop things off through a window. It will be open 8:00 to 4:30. We hope to have it in by Friday. They’ll be engaged by somebody in the building. It’s not a drop box, so we’ll have to open it, they’ll submit whatever they want, and then we’ll get that to the proper department. So even though it’s on the treasurer’s side of the building, you can drop off other information for the auditor, county attorney, whatever the department. We will take it through that window.  We prefer that it’s in an envelope so it’s contained and that we know what office it needs to go to.”

Meyer says they want to try to serve the county’s constituents as best as possible in an unprecedented time.  “We want to make it so people can still do business with the county, and there will be inconveniences, we understand that, however, we’re going to try to make it the best we can and to get through this for the health and safety of the employees, the citizens, and the community.”

The same actions are being implemented in other city and county buildings throughout our listening area. The best advice is to call ahead and find out the guidelines of doing business in those buildings before traveling there.