The Butler County Commissioners are in the process of drafting a letter to Governor Wolf requesting that the county open on May 8th.
Commissioner Leslie Osche read the letter at today’s public meeting, which included the following.
“We believe that [the county] stands ready to open, and ready to work, with our regional partners and state agencies to collaborate in ongoing efforts to make sure our county is ready for any emergency now and in the future,” Osche said.
The commissioners said that they have been in consultation with Butler Health System, municipalities, and local businesses. Commissioner Kim Geyer said they believe the county should reopen because of the numbers.
“When we spoke the other day to the governor’s officials, we requested that [the county] be evaluated base on its merits,” Geyer said. “We did not want to be compared to other counties. We want to be evaluated based on our own preparations and the best practices we’ve put in place here in Butler County.”
Commissioner Kevin Boozel said it’s important that the Governor’s office hears directly from the county.
“We want to have our voices heard, and we want to have some management ability at the local level,” Boozel said. “[The governor’s office] doesn’t know what’s happening in Butler, they’re too far removed. We want to make sure that our relationship with them is going to continue. So really it’s up to the governor’s office now for how they take this, and how we respond to that.
The letter is expected to be sent later this week.
