Cullman City Mayor Woody Jacobs, left, discusses business with the city council, right, from the lobby outside the Lucille N. Galin Auditorium at city hall during a special called meeting Tuesday evening. In order to meet the 10 person state ordinance on public gatherings, Jacobs and others, stood just outside the council auditorium with doors open. The order is for non-work related gatherings of any size that cannot maintain a consistent six-foot distance, but the council decided to be extra cautious.

In a special called meeting Tuesday, the Cullman City Council approved a 5 percent stipend for some city employees for a 12-week period who will be required to work during the COVID-19 crisis. They also said those employees will be able to send their children to a city-run daycare at the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center.

The council passed a resolution to adopt a Family First Corona Response Act plan as required by federal law. The law goes into affect April 2, and provides paid leave to employees unable to work or telework because they have children they need to care for due to schools or daycares being closed due to COVID-19.

The council adopted the plan but excluded employees in the police, fire, sanitation, information technology, streets and engineering departments, along with water and waste water treatment, city garage and human resources employees.

For those employees, the city is providing free daycare from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mayor Woody Jacobs said they anticipate there will be between 10-20 children in the day camp, with the exact number varying from day to day.

Councilman Johnny Cook said the camp will be following CDC guidelines on social distancing. “They will not have a group of more than 10 children [in one room], that includes the one teacher or leader,” he said.

Councilman Clint Hollingsworth noted that this is not the first disruptive event Cullman city employees have worked through. “Obviously the tornado was the most recent major event, the hailstorm, different things where city services continued,” he said.

“They’re doing a great job already but it’s even more important that going forward we’ve got all hands on deck to help with the whole community,” he said.

He said the pay stipend recognizes the long hours the employees are working and their contribution to keeping city services going.

“I appreciate the city council recognizing their contribution and giving them this pay raise during this time,” said Jacobs.

Following the meeting, during which the council took great care to avoid having no more than 10 people in the council chambers and maintaining at least six feet of space between individuals, the mayor said he’s seen city employees embracing social distancing.

“It’s working,” he said. “It’s taking hold.”

He pointed to the fire department, where firefighters use different doors when changing shifts. Cook said the power board has also made changes to slow or stop the spread of the virus. “Because God forbid if a tornado hits, who’s going to send mutual aid here? Nobody! They’re not going to take the chance if our guys are out,” he said.

The mayor said there have been a few instances where city employees have not been as careful as they should, but for the most part, “I think our folks are really trying. We’re just trying to get them to take that home with them.

“I’ve been trying to teach them the ‘herd mentality,’” he added. “Stick with your herd. Stick within your group. Don’t cross contaminate the herd. Because that’s where it’s coming from.”