Kerr County, Texas to close offices on eclipse day, April 8

Citing a need to keep employees safe and to allow them to stay home to alleviate the strain expected on local roads and infrastructure, the Kerr County Commissioners’ Court voted unanimously to close county facilities on Monday, April 8 – the day of the total solar eclipse.

“To be clear, April 8, when the eclipse occurs, is not a holiday. We’re not making it a holiday. But the school districts, the city, and we, as the county, think it is better for people not to come down to the courthouse. We do not need to bring people in that day, except those who are required to work,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Monday during regular commissioners’ court. Employees will be given an administrative day, similar to when county facilities have had to be closed due to bad weather or during COVID-19. The employees who are required to work during the event will be given an administrative day off to take at some point before the end of the year.

Kerrville and Kerr County are in the “path of totality” for the eclipse, making it a prime viewing location for the celestial event, because the eclipse peak of totality will last 4 minutes, 24 seconds. Due to its favorable viewing location, the area is anticipating that the population for that weekend and event Monday will swell by two to three times (or more) the county’s normal count of 53,000.

All the key emergency response agencies have been planning for this event for the better part of 2 years, and they are expecting such a large crowd to converge here that it will place a huge strain on not only the traffic systems, but also local food/fuel resources.

In order for the county to be considered for any state-provided assistance or items, according to the Texas Department of Emergency Management, it had to declare a state of disaster in advance of the event. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly enacted such a Declaration of Disaster for Kerr County, Texas, on March 4. That document is viewable from a link provided on the home page of the county’s website at: www.kerrcountytx.gov. And, as required by the Texas Government Code for that declaration to stay in effect, Kerr County commissioners voted unanimously to extend it until April 11.

The April 8 closure applies to all offices that are in the Kerr County Courthouse, 700 Main Street in Kerrville, and the West Kerr Courthouse Annex, 510 College Street in Ingram. Normal hours of operation are expected to resume on Tuesday, April 8.

For updates, be sure to visit the county website at www.kerrcountytx.gov. For more information and updates on the eclipse, visit www.kerrvilleeclipse.com.