Situation Report - Current County Services

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May 27, 2020

County offices are closed to the public, but still operational.

Freeholder Meetings are live streamed; times have been adjusted, see schedule.

Aging / Seniors

Due to Memorial Day, Meals on Wheels will deliver on Tuesday, May 26, Wednesday, May 27 and Friday, May 29.
All county-operated senior centers are temporarily closed thru May 31.
Staff is available to assist and link to services. Please call 908-704-6346 or toll-free 1- 888-747-1122.

Recycling & Solid Waste

Curbside Recycling Pickups - running on schedule
HHW - next event May 30
Shredding Event to be held May 16 - Schedule & Locations
Electronic Waste Drop-off sites are temporarily closed to the public on weekdays at the following locations:
- South County Public Works facility, 410 Roycefield Road, Hillsborough
- North County Public Works building, 411 Chimney Rock Road, Bridgewater

Richard Hall Community Health & Wellness Center

The current COVID-19/Coronavirus situation is ever changing. Richard Hall is following the Governor's executive order for aggressive social distancing and limited in-person interaction. Please check in to this site for updates. As of now, we will be taking the following steps:

Richard Hall is providing limited access to services, by appointment only from 9 am - 5 pm, Tuesday - Thursday. Please call your provider and follow the instructions on the voicemail.
Medication Clinic is available to those needing injectable medication by appointment only. Clients will be contacted by Ann Freitag, Nursing Director to arrange times.
All clients needing refills should call the refill line at 908-253-3113.
As always if experiencing a psychiatric emergency call PESS 908-526-4100.
All meetings and groups are suspended at this time until further notice. Telemental Health is being conducted. Please call ACCESS Center for appointment (908) 253-3165.
NJ Compiled State and National Resources Directory

Even in these times, you are not alone. Support continues to be available even when it is not face-to-face. There is an entire community from call centers, text support and online support groups ready to help you or your loved ones whenever you need it.

Social Services

ATTENTION: During the current Health Emergency the Agency will operate on reduced hours.

North Plainfield office is temporarily CLOSED
Somerville office will open 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Franklin office will be open 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Outside of these hours, all persons seeking assistance are referred to NJ211 (Dial 211) for shelter.

ATTENTION SNAP RECIPIENTS: If your case is due to be re-certified and you were unable to get your paperwork in or complete your interview, your case will not be closed. You will receive your benefits on the usual day. Your case will be re-certified at some point in the future, once this public health crisis has settled. In the meantime, you will continue to receive SNAP benefits.

APPLY ONLINE: We are encouraging county residents who want to apply for SNAP food assistance, cash assistance under the Work First New Jersey program, or Medicaid to do so online at www.njhelps.org. During this public health crisis, we can do interviews by phone, so you do not need to come into the office to apply for benefits.

For a direct link to the Board of Social Services

Transportation

Continuing to deliver meals to home-bound residents.

* Full Report of Services *

Department		Current Services Available
9-1-1 Comm		Public Safety Radio 911 is continuing normal operations, assisting all municipalities 24/7 and as a support function for OEM.
Adjusters Office		The office is fully operational with staff working remotely and rotating in-office, Monday - Friday • 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
Aging & Disability Services		Preparing meals for the homebound and providing telephone outreach and support to seniors and disabled persons. Please see tab above.
Community Development		Continuing to support grant administration by email inquiries or voice mail: 908-541-5756. Questions about housing assistance are best directed to Central Jersey Housing Resource Center. Note: Homelessness Trust Fund is not available at this time.
County Clerk		Providing Vote By Mail applications and processing completed applications returned by mail; accepting Primary Election petitions for county-wide offices; recording land documents. Free, on-line land record searches. Registered title searchers can visit the record room by appointment only.
Economic Development		Working through ESF-14 function and to support the formation of a economic recovery taskforce.
Elections		Limited MVC online transactions but will not be providing any direct services to the public.
Emergency Management		Coordinating response to COVID19, working closely with the county Department of Health and all 21 municipalities. Donations or Volunteering
Emergency Svcs Training Academy		The classroom portion of most primary courses has been completed through an online process. Student registration has started for a small amount of additional online courses: ESTA webpage
Engineering		All construction projects are proceeding, with oversight and inspections as necessary. Road opening permits will be processed, administered and inspected. All public inquires will receive a response. Proceeding with bidding projects, but contractors will not be allowed to pick up bid documents at the office; they will have to be mailed.
Facilities & Services		Mail, repairs, deliveries, preventive maintenance, and overseeing contractors will still be done as well as any back up services needed by other divisions.
Finance		Fully functional.
Health		Working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New Jersey Department of Health and local healthcare partners to identify cases and prevent possible transmission of the virus.
Human Resources		Applications for employment can be submitted online. HR staff continue to be available in the office (by appointment), by phone and through email, fax or regular mail communications to respond to employee inquiries and needs.
Information Technology		Continual local and remote support, making network upgrades as planned or as needed.
Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC)		Calls and emails checked daily, while mail and faxes are checked every few days. Please contact your treatment agency directly for questions. The DMV is only available for online services, call 609-292-7500 for restoration. May 4-5 class rescheduled for June 15-16 or June 22-23. May 18-19 class rescheduled for July 13-14.
Juvenile Institutional Services		JIS continues to closely monitor youth court ordered to the Home Detention and Advanced House Arrest programs, provide intensive case management services via phone and e-mail to all youth and families participating in its other programs, and is in constant contact with Middlesex Juvenile Detention Censure to ensure the health and well-being of Somerset County youth currently placed in that facility.
Library System		SCLS extended online resources set is available to anyone residing in Somerset County through at least April 30. The link is sclsnj.org/BeSafeAtHome Adding an expanding list of online and streaming programs for all ages. Check their website.
Richard Hall		Please see tab above.
One Stop		Greater Raritan One Stop will be assisting jobseekers and businesses via email. Job seekers are encouraged to text the word onestop to 56512 for job seeker updates and opportunities. Also see information under various resources.
Park Comm		Updated information.
Planning		Continuing to support efforts to promote the 2020 Census. Processing land development applications and grant programs. Staffing the Infrastructure Restoration effort with Engineering and the Somerset County Business Partnership.
Prosecutor's Office		Assistant Prosecutor's continue to screen new criminal complaints, handling first appearances, providing legal services to all Somerset County law enforcement agencies, working with Somerset County Superior Court judges on early release for certain incarcerated individuals, preparing court cases and motions, assisting with search warrants, etc. Admin staff is still processing new criminal complaints that are coming into the office, processing paperwork for detention hearings and first appearances. Detective staff is responding to major crimes for investigative purposes, processing crime scenes, making arrests, and case follow-up. Collision Accident Reconstruction Team (CART), Arson Task Force, and narcotics are available to assist local police with fatal or near fatal car crashes, suspicious or confirmed arson fires and for narcotics investigations.
Purchasing		Requisitions will be reviewed and processed on an as need basis. Bid/RFP openings have been postponed and rescheduled for later dates.
Recycling		Please see tab above.
Roads & Bridges		Roads and Bridges will be in operation to handle maintenance and repair of County infrastructure.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension		Working remotely to provide programming and information for the public and RCE clientele. Visit the RCE website and social media sites for information on learn-at-home opportunities and information. 4-H club meetings and events are happening virtually. Agriculture & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health Sciences and 4-H all offer online education and clientele support. All in-person RCE programming is suspended due to COVID-19 through August 2020.
Sheriff’s Office		Proactively responding and adapting as the COVID19 situation evolves, and increasing patrol in key areas. Providing security for county buildings, and jail. Project life saver is operational. Sheriffs are also available to local police for assistance. No visitations in the jail. No work details. No foreclosures, evictions, sales.
Social Services		Please see tab above.
Soil Conservation		Continuing to meet state requirements, enforcement & site inspections.
Surrogate’s Office		Staff will continue to meet the needs of the public with services, such as the probate of wills, appointment of administrators, guardianships for both adults and minors, adoptions and Superior Court filings.
Taxation		Accepting appeals for all Somerset County properties via regular mail or email, through June 8th. Email or call 908-541-5701 our office with questions. We anticipate that tax appeal hearings will be scheduled for mid-June or July.
Transportation		Please see tab above.
Vehicle Maintenance		Continuing to maintain county vehicles.
Veterans Svcs		Accessing and checking on pending VA Claims. Veterans can ask questions via email or by calling 908-704-6329 - messages will be checked daily. Also see information under various resources.
Volunteer Svcs		Transferring Handyman and Tax Program phone lines to staff in remote location.
Vo-Tech		The Somerset County Vocational School District has teachers and Administrators working remotely using on-line learning techniques, a Health Related School Closure Plan has been provided on our website, which is updated daily. Students have been surveyed to assess on-line access as well as access to devices. Chromebooks have been loaned to students expressing a need and instruction is being developed aligned to the State standards.
Weights & Measures		The office is fully operational with staff working remotely and rotating in-office, Monday - Friday • 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Consumer inquiries left on office voicemail or by email will be responded to. All business field inspections have resumed.
Workforce Development Board		Providing and promoting online resources for jobseekers at www.thegrwdb.org – see list under "Mission” on the homepage. SkillUp Greater Raritan, which is free to every resident and business in Hunterdon and Somerset counties.
Youth Services		Contact the office via email or by phone 908-704-6333, Monday - Friday • 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Working to conduct needs assessment and hold meetings virtually. The Family Crisis Intervention Unit is responding to crisis situations and is also providing ongoing treatment via the phone. It also continues to communicate with the public, including providers, via email and phone. Late hours Monday - Thursday • 8:30 am - 7:00 pm.

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