Sedgwick County Commissioners made one change to Dr. Garold Minns' new local health order that goes into effect Sunday morning.
Restaurants that don't serve alcohol will now have no limits on hours of operation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Minns' new order will quadruple the mass gathering limit, from 25 to 100. Commissioner Sarah Lopez, concerned about what that increase might do to coronavirus cases, wanted it set at 50. That motion failed 2-3.
Commissioners also voted down a motion that would have kept a 2 attendee per participant limit at youth and recreational indoor sporting events. That limit will increase to four. The new order runs through March 20th.
We also heard a report about the county’s finances. The county maintained their AAA credit rating from Standard and Poor's. Employment conditions have improved, after taking a hit early on as the pandemic started.
CARES Act funding and COVID-related spending was a big part of the 4th quarter report. Property tax and sales tax collection rates remained steady. Officials say they will continue to keep a lid on operational expenses and personnel expenditures into 2021.