A discussion during Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners on a county travel quarantine order morphed into a heated exchange between commissioner Dennis Rolfs and Keith Haberer, emergency management director for both Ellsworth and Russell counties.

The exchange started by Rolfs asking Haberer and Kerianne Ehrlich, supervisor of the county health department, who was responsible for the order — county commissioners or county health officer Dr. Ronald Whitmer. The order maintains a travel quarantine for Ellsworth County residents traveling to Wyandotte, Johnson, Finney and Ford counties.

“That should be our decision, not the health officer’s decision,” Rolfs said.

“Why would we want residents going from our county to a hot spot area to be exposed?” Ehrlich asked.

“I’m not saying I want it,” Rolfs said.

“It is the health officer’s decision, by state statute 65-119,” Haberer said. “It’s his decision.”

“I’m glad you know that,” Rolfs said.

Rolfs followed by saying Haberer or someone lied to him regarding a previous county burn ban decision.

Rolfs said Ellsworth Fire Chief Bob Kepka called him after the commission meeting.

“He had the wrong idea of what was said,” Rolfs said.

“We went downstairs and called him (Kepka),” Haberer said. “We talked to him. You guys didn’t talk to him.”

“I didn’t say I talked to him,” Commissioner Kermit Rush said.

“I didn’t talk to him until he called me,” Rolfs said.

“We (Haberer and Ehrlich) went downstairs and talked to him on speaker phone, to Mark Breford (Holyrood fire chief ) on speaker phone, and Joe Soukup (Wilson fire chief ) on speaker phone, and all of them said put on the burn ban,” Haberer said. “That’s what you wanted. You wanted the fire chiefs to say put on the burn ban. And we did.”

Haberer said Rush told him that every time a burn ban was put in place to contact the fire chiefs.

“We contacted the fire chiefs even though it would be a health risk,” Haberer said. “Not so much because of the burning, but we still contacted the fire chiefs and they were all okay with it.”

Haberer said the commissioners said he didn’t contact the fire chiefs when he did.

“That’s the part that was wrong,” Haberer said. “So wrong.”

“You’re misunderstanding what I’m saying,” Rolfs said. “He (Kepka) told me that he was told that we said that he was against the burn ban. He said someone told him that’s what we said. And I said we never said that. We said you (Kepka) was okay with it. But that is not necessarily being for it or against it.” “Okay with it and for it is the

“Okay with it and for it is the same thing,” Haberer said.

“Not necessarily,” Rolfs said.

Rolfs then turned back to the travel quarantine order.

“I think we should be talked to before we start telling people they can’t go to Johnson County,” Rolfs said.

“We have had the travel restrictions in place since this started,” Ehrlich said. “And I did come and we did talk about the travel restrictions.”

“How are we going to get them lifted,” Rolfs asked. “It’s time to end this.”

“I had recommended to drop the travel restrictions,” Ehrlich said. “I’ll be honest, I’m tired of the phone calls behind it. I’m tired of dealing with the issues. And I feel like people can be responsible. I need to let them be responsible adults that make their own decisions. I then have to leave it up to the health officer (Dr. Whitmer) to make that decision. He chose to reduce it down to the five counties that we still have on board. Then I said I think we need to look at it after Phase 1.5.”

“It’s his (Dr. Whitmer’s) decision then,” Rush said.

“He (Dr. Whitmer) felt like because it is his decision that to be on the safe side that we at least keep those five hot spot areas on the list at this time, then re-evaluate it,” Ehrlich said.

“I agree with you entirely about the personal responsibility,” Rolf said. “I’ve said that in this meeting before.”

Rolfs said the county is being intrusive on the citizens’ ability to have common sense.

He added COVID-19 hasn’t become the problem in Ellsworth County that officials thought it would become.

“But do we have a less problem because we put those restrictions in place,” Ehrlich asked.

“I do not doubt, probably, that we do have less of a problem,” Rolfs said. “But it’s time.”

“I agree it’s time,” Ehrlich said.

“People are not very happy — and I’m one of them,” Rolfs said.

“Do you think any of us are happy,” Haberer asked Rolfs.

“I’m not talking whether you are happy or not Keith,” Rolfs responded to Haberer. “I don’t care what you think because you lied to somebody.”

“No I did not lie to anybody,” Haberer said.

“Well somebody did,” Rolfs said. “I hate to even see you in here if you want to get right down to it. That’s how I feel.”

Terry Kueser, former Ellsworth County commissioner, asked for permission to speak.

“I came in here because it’s hard for us to get any information,” Kueser said. “I know what you guys are doing and I know the mitigation factors have helped. But I think it’s time for some leadership from our local officials that understand the situation, in conjunction with health authorities. But I will remind you that none of the health authorities are elected personnel. You guys have the decision about what you would recommend. I know a lot of the public, my neighborhood included, feels like we’re following mandates that originate in Washington D.C. and Topeka, that do not look at the conditions in Ellsworth County.”

Kueser said travel restrictions are a whole different thing.

“That’s that common sense deal,” he said. “But I think at some point the American public has to be trusted to decide what their threat level that they will accept is. And it’s coming. But I do believe it’s time for county leadership to have a little more input, rather than just saying the health officer tells us we have to do this.”

“I’m glad you came in Terry because that is what I’ve been hearing too,” Rolfs said. “I get a little upset. We’re up here trying to make some decisions that make sense for our county. The state is telling us one thing and the federal government whatever. But then these guys (Ehrlich and Haberer) are telling us something here too. Where does our ability to step in come?”

“They’re doing their job,’ Kueser said. “But their job is to advise us — not to tell us what to do,” Rolfs said.

“That’s the point I came in to make,” Kueser said.

“Well I don’t want the (stuff ),” said Janice Sneath, county register of deeds.

“And I don’t go out and step in front of a train and think oh, it’s not going to hurt me.”

“That right,” Kueser said. “That’s exactly what you should do.”

“Well that’s what this coronavirus is,” Sneath said. “My office is not fit for anybody to come in there, because it’s too small of quarters.”

“Here is the other thing,” Rolfs said. “You step in front of a train, it’s your decision. But all these rules that everybody else has to go by, they may not want to go.”