Black Hawk County Courthouse, Sheriff’s Office Set To Reopen

Two Black Hawk County government buildings will be reopening soon, after being closed to the general public for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The business office for the sheriff's department will reopen to all operations on June 8 to coincide with the date approved by the Board of Supervisors for normal Courthouse operations. The Board voted 3-2 Tuesday morning to allow the general public to enter the Courthouse again in less than two weeks. Two supervisors voted against June 8 because they favored an earlier date.

According to a press release, jail inmate visitations and all other normal business for the general public will be conducted out of the sheriff's office. All visitors will be required to wear a mask identical to the procedures approved for Courthouse visitors by the Board of Supervisors, sheriff's officials said.

To accommodate those that are not yet comfortable in going into public places and anyone who wishes to continue social distancing, sheriff's officials said they will continue to provide the alternate operations that have been in place for more than two months. The accommodations include business being conducted over the phone and remotely through computer technology.

"We want to make this as easy as possible for our residents," Sheriff Tony Thompson said. "(Residents) can choose, if they wish, to come in to the office in person or, if they wish, to continue using information technology from their home."

In an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, sheriff's officials closed the business office for most transactions and prohibited inmate visitations at the county jail on March 18. The Black Hawk County Courthouse has also been closed to the general public since mid-March.