County offices provide reopening info

VW independent/submitted information

The Van Wert County Courthouse, Annex (including Job and Family Services), and General Health District (Health Department) will be reopening to regular business hours effective Monday, May 4. Details for individual departments are outlined below. Note that in accordance with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Order, when entering County buildings, maintain social distancing (a minimum of 6 feet between people).

In addition, wearing a face mask, scarf, or other covering is required. Those who have, or have recently had, symptoms of coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue/unexplained tiredness, headache, sore throat, etc., should not enter County buildings. 

Auditor’s Office:
Phone (419) 238-0843
Fax (419) 238-1111
Email: deputyauditor@van-wertcounty.org
Special Instructions: Will not allow more than two people in the office at a time. If business can be handled over phone, please do so. 

Clerk of Courts-Title Department:
Phone (419) 238-6989
Email: clerkofcourts@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions: Open to the public by appointment only during regular business hours. Dealers will be by drop off and pick up later only.

Commissioners’ Office
Phone (419) 238-6159
Fax (419) 238-4528
Email: rbollenbacher@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions: All regular business at the Van Wert County Commissioners’ Office will continue as scheduled, but call before stopping in to either take care of questions or business via telephone or to schedule a time to come in to the office.

Common Pleas Court, General Division, Adult Probation Department, and Clerk of Courts-Legal Division:
Common Pleas Phone (419) 238-6935
Common Pleas Email: administrator@vwcommonpleas.org
Clerk of Courts Phone (419) 238-1022
Clerk of Courts Email: clerkofcourts@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions: See Journal Entry from Judge Martin Burchfield below: 

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while the stay-at-home order and mass gathering ban of more than 10 people remains in place and in light of Governor Mike DeWine’s April 27 announcement of the state’s plan to re-open part of the economy in Ohio beginning May 1, the Van Wert County Court of Common Pleas, while continuing to seek to protect the public, including vulnerable persons,  and the court staff, including vulnerable persons, and maintain essential court functions, hereby gives notice of its intent to keep in full force and effect the alternative protocols set forth in its entries issued March 19, March 23, March 25, March 31, April 1, and April 3, and to adopt the following requirements which the court staff will follow while undertaking the responsibilities of their positions in person and in the Van Wert County Courthouse and outside thereof, as well as governing the conduct of persons, including vulnerable persons who personally appear for court business in the courthouse: 

1. All staff will wear face coverings during personal contact with and while in the presence of any member of the public. 
2. All persons who personally appear, including attorneys, shall wear face coverings while on the third floor outside the offices of the court, in the courtroom, and in the court offices. 
3. All persons, staff, and those doing business with the court shall, while in the presence of one another, maintain physical distance from others of at least six feet, as practicable. 
4. As much as possible, persons having business with the court who intend to personally appear shall telephone the court at (419) 238-6935, or in the alternative, the Probation Department of the court at (419) 238-2825, to schedule an appointed time at which they intend to appear. 
5. In accordance with the State’s mass gathering ban of more than ten people, gathering of more than ten people anywhere on the third floor of the Van Wert County Courthouse is prohibited, those spaces including the lobby, the courtroom, the probation department, court offices, and meeting rooms. 
6.  All persons entering courtroom may be subject to temperature checks.  Any person over 100.4 may be excluded from courtroom. 
7.  COURTROOM ETIQUETTE
a. Please remain in your seating area
b. Only approach the bailiff or the bench after requesting permission and being granted leave to approach
c. Please assist the bailiff and sheriff’s deputies by instructing your clients and others to only move through the Courtroom after being granted leave.
d. Do not bring your clients/defendants into the Courtroom without getting clearance from deputy or bailiff.
e. Exhibits — Use hand sanitizer on podium to clean your hands before picking up your exhibit.  Place the exhibit on the podium for the Bailiff to retrieve
f. Video conferencing — As many hearings as possible will be conducted by video conferencing.  If an attorney needs to speak to his client, the courtroom will be cleared to allow private conferencing.  The camera will be pointed to attorney’s seat at table.  Attorney will signal to courtroom cameras when finished. 
g. Non-prosecutors should not be around the prosecutor’s table.  No milling about the courtroom.
h. Attorneys and their staffs will not be permitted in the court office areas.   All such persons shall remain in the Courtroom proper.
i.  No person shall be in front of the counsel tables in the courtroom at any time.
8. Each individual staff member shall continue to be responsible for maintaining their offices and workstations by disinfecting their desks and work stations as well as high contact surfaces prior to commencement of work operations, at the close of work operations, and intermittently throughout the work operations, specifically including using appropriate disinfectant to clean desks, workstations, and high contact services, upon a person leaving the work areas and before another person enters the work area. 
9. Staff members shall assist one another in maintaining all office equipment to see that it is disinfected throughout the workday. 

The court restates its belief that during this public health emergency, it is necessary to maintain services to our citizens and provide them continuing access to justice through our court. The court will entertain any reasonable requests for accommodations for staff and any member of the public to that end on a case-by-case basis. The court will continue to address the public crisis with the idea of maintaining services by undertaking that responsibility without losing sight of treating people with kindness, courteousness, and respect, so that our court may provide a fair and just result to all parties whose conflicts the court addresses.

Engineers’ Tax Map Office/Regional Planning Commission:
Phone (419) 238-3611
Fax (419) 771-1021
Email: vanwertmap@vanwertcountyohio.gov
Special Instructions: Deeds will be accepted.  Please call for more detailed information.  Limited, public access will be allowed, and information will be available upon request. Any questions, please call or email.

General Health District (Health Department):
Phone (419) 238-0808
Special Instructions: Open to the public for Vital Statistics and Environmental.  Will continue providing immunizations for those with scheduled appointments.  Employees will be wearing masks to protect the public.  If a person needs services and does not have a mask, please contact via telephone at the number listed above – Extension 100 for Vital Statistics and Extension 105 for Environmental.    

Job & Family Services:
Phone (419) 238-5430
Special Instructions: To reduce any potential spread of the COVID-19 virus, we will be temporarily closing our first floor front desk, Child Support front desk, and OhioMeansJobs Resource Room. Customers are asked to submit all applications and verifications via the drop window located in the first floor front desk lobby. The box will be monitored and cleared often.  All documents will be processed as normal.  Staff will mail receipts to verify the Agency has received the submitted documentation and/or will contact customers via phone if a phone interview is being scheduled or if we have any questions. 

We also encourage our customers to submit documentation to us either by mail or email whenever possible.

Business information is as follows:  

Children and Protective Services:
Phone (419) 238-5430
Emergency calls outside of agency hours should be directed to the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office at (419) 238.3866 or the Van Wert City Police Department at (419) 238-2462. 

Food Assistance/Cash Assistance/Medicaid: 
Phone (419) 238-5430
To apply for assistance: https://benefits.ohio.gov/.
Email verifications to: VANWERTJFS@odjfs.state.oh.us.

Child Support Enforcement Agency:
Phone (419) 238-9566
Register with the web-portal to complete most transactions at: https://jfs.ohio.gov/ocs.
Payments can be made by phone with a debit/credit/pre-paid card, mail, or by accessing: https://oh.smartchildsupport.com.

OhioMeansJobs:
Phone (419) 623-4437
Email: vanwertomj@gmail.com.

Probate and Juvenile Court:
Probate Court Phone (419) 238-0027
Juvenile Court Phone (419) 238-1118
Juvenile Probation Department Phone (419) 238-0027

Prosecutor’s Office
Phone (419) 238-1166
Email: kbragg@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions:  Open to the public by appointment only during regular business hours.  Only one (1) individual allowed in lobby at a time.  Secure, locked drop box located inside lobby to the right of front door.  It will be checked frequently.  We encourage those needing service to contact us by telephone or email.

Recorder’s Office:
Phone (419) 238-2558
Email: recorder@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions: Title Searches by appointment only.  Please call to schedule.  No appointment needed to record documents.

Solid Waste Management District:
Phone (419) 238-7767
Special Instructions: The Recycling Center drive-thru will be open with normal business days and hours (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.).  This will be for recyclables only.  No special drop offs; i.e., televisions, bulbs, paint, etc. as the office is still closed.  The library will also be closed.  Please do not use the drive-thru if you are sick or feeling unwell.

CURBSIDE PICK UP WILL RESUME ON MONDAY, MAY 4. We are asking that you only set out as close to a normal week’s worth of recycling as possible each week.  We have been instructed to not work overtime due to budget restraints, so in order to catch up, we will need to pick up recycling gradually.  If you are willing and able, please bring all extra recycling to the drive-thru drop off. 

TOWNSHIPS/ALLEN COUNTY DROP OFFS will resume on Friday, May 1, 2020.

As always, the SWMD will not collect your recycling if there is trash, tissues, toilet paper, gloves, masks, etc. in your bins.  We will not collect any plastic bags. Cardboard has to be cut down to 2-foot by 2-foot or smaller.

Treasurer’s Office:
Phone (419) 238-5177
Email: treasurer@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions: Will not allow more than two (2) people in the office at a time.

Veteran Services Commission:
Phone (419) 238-9592
Fax (419) 238-2819
Email vwvets@vanwertcounty.org
Special Instructions: Open to the public by appointment only during regular business hours. There will only be one individual allowed in lobby at a time.