When the Meeker Town Board holds its monthly meeting next Monday night, Trustees most likely will discuss a mask mandate for the town.
Based on comments on a Facebook post from last week, though, residents and outof-towners don’t want it.
Town Administrator Dickie Walton said he had staff put the idea on Meeker’s Facebook page on Thursday. By 1 p.m. Monday, it had gotten 413 comments and had been shared 31 times.
Of those, around 80 percent said they were against such a mandate.
Walton explained that Mayor Aaron Head advised him he wanted the issue placed on the Aug. 17 agenda. The Town Administrator said last week he expects the agenda item to include discussion and possible action.
“Our residents here in town have voiced their opinions they do not want wearing a mask mandated. I feel there has to be a lot more study before we make that decision,” Walton added.
“Some cities and towns are passing a mask mandate and then coming back and amending it. I don’t want us to do that,” he related.
“Our Trustees represent the citizens of Meeker and they have indicated they don’t want that,” Walton said.
He doesn’t believe the whole thing has been sold to people in cities and towns very well.
“Discussion is always good,” he said. Walton pointed out that comments from some businesses in Meeker are indicating they are getting customers from other cities and towns who have mandated wearing masks and they oppose it.
“Our government also has come up short by not requesting and enforcing that mask disposal receptacles be required and put in place,” Walton said.