Blaine County Clerk Jennifer Haigler on April 27 made clear the county database has not been hacked.
The rumor came to be, she said, when a county received notice an employee had been approved for unemployment benefits. It is standard procedure to contact the employer before releasing benefits.
However, Haigler knew this employee was still on the job and had not filed a claim, although the same employee may have had a worker’s compensation claim in the past. The entire claim was a falsehood.
That lead to the rumor, which Haigler quashed. The information used to file the paperwork could have been taken from discarded mail or from a mailbox or taken online in some other way. But the county’s internet technology providers searched the system and verified its firewalls had not been breached or hacked in any way.
“There has been no hacking at the county,” Haigler said. “We’re unsure how the information was obtained, but our IT people have done a thorough check.”
The county is considering when it will be appropriate to reopen its offices and courthouse to the public. Indications are court dates may resume in late May, depending on whether there is a spike in cases once the state begins allowing businesses and stores to reopen.
Meanwhile the county clerk and court clerk offices are continuing to operate by telephone, drop boxes, mail or email and the county extension office is working mostly through telephone. Agent Becky Bedwell said she has been inspecting many trees in the county usually while the property owner watches from a window or vehicle. She can then communicate her suggestions via telephone or email.
The commission also agreed in its regular session April 27 to reject all bids on plumbing for the Greenfield Fire station construction. The department will instead use another funding source outside its sales tax account and use a local plumber. The low bid on electrical work was let to Haigler Electric.
The county also tabled an agreement between itself and the City of Watonga for jail services. The existing contract is from 2014 and is in need of updated verbiage, spelling out the terms of the agreement more clearly. The contract should be brought back to the commission before the end April.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com