County Leaders Have No Plans to Require Residents To Get the COVID Vaccine

The general public will not be required to take a coronavirus vaccine, at least for now, according to Fayette County Emergency Management Chief Craig Moreau.

Moreau made the remarks regarding the vaccine at last Wednesday’s Fayette County Commissioners Court meeting. During the meeting, Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff asked Moreau about a possible vaccine mandate for EMS personnel and other county employees.

“This is not FDA approved yet,” Moreau said regarding the new coronavirus vaccines. “It has FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) ... No one will be forced to take anything under an EUA. I have doubts they will make you take it under FDA approval.”

Moreau went on to say that healthcare workers and nursing home workers may one day be required to take a coronavirus vaccine after it gains FDA approval.

“For example, paramedics have to take a slew of vaccines to get started – hepatitis, things like that,” he added. “There might be a time in the future, and this is just my supposition, where you would have to have (a vaccine) to gain employment, but maybe not to continue employment.”

Fayette County EMS Director Josh Vandever said he has no plants to require EMS employees to take a coronavirus vaccine, at least for now.

“I don’t think it would be right at this time to mandate this vaccine,” Vandever said. “We actually don’t mandate current employees getting any vaccines.”

However, Vandever added that anyone who becomes a state-certified paramedic must take a regimen of vaccines.

“Most educational institutions won’t let you in their program if you don’t have them,” he said. “We have certain rights as an employer, but I think the moral and ethical decision is to not require it.”

Vandever said he would consult with the commissioners and County Judge before mandating a coronavirus vaccine for employees.

“But it’s not on my radar to require it,” he said.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Fayette County EMS Paramedic Justin Vincent became the latest EMS employee to take advantage of the County’s tuition reimbursement program.

County Commissioners voted unanimously to reimburse Vincent $5,000 in tuition costs for the classes he recently completed to become a paramedic.

The program requires applicants to commit to working fulltime for the County for at least two years, otherwise they would have to pay back the money. Those like Vincent who apply for the program must pay tuition up-front and successfully complete their coursework before the county reimburses them.

“I’m glad to see you took advantage and I’m glad you’ll be with us for a few years now,” said Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom.

In other business, Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom as the new County Judge Pro Tem for 2021.

The current County Judge Pro Tem, Pct. 4 Commissioner Tom Muras, will retire at the end of this year. Duties include acting as the County Judge when he is unavailable. That primarily involves presiding at commissioners court meetings during the County Judge’s absence.

McBroom was first elected in 2012 and took office in January 2013, which will make him the longest-serving member of the commissioners court after Muras steps down.

McBroom congratulated Muras and thanked him for his 30 years of service to the County. Muras introduced the court to Drew Brossmann, who was appointed by County Judge Joe Weber last week as Muras’ interim replacement on the Commissioners Court. Brossmann currently serves as Muras’ superintendent in the Pct. 4 Road and Bridge Department.