By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Monday's Barton County Commission meeting had a different look and fell as the board met in regular session at the Courthouse.
Administrator Phil Hathcock made sure there were no more than 10 people in the commission chambers to ensure compliance with Kansas Governor's order of keeping public gatherings to 10 or fewer people.
Coronavirus forced the meeting to be live-streamed through Microsoft Teams.
Commissioners Jennifer Schartz says the county is doing their best to keep county offices functional during this tough time.
"I think all of our essential services are still in place," Schartz said. "We have a really good team in place to make this happen. I have heard a lot of positive comments about the annex office for the Treasurer's Office we set up."
The Treasurer's Office has a drive-thru facility now at 2223 Broadway so tags, taxes and titles can all be done from your vehicle. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Schartz hopes that county residents do not get lax in their preventative measures because the pandemic has not affected the area of the state as much as others.
"People let their guard down and this is not the time to do that," said Schartz. "I know when the weather is nicer, people want to be out. It is more of a temptation but people need to continue to be vigilant."