Silvius granted after hours access to city hall

Nine months after being sworn in as Red Oak Mayor, Shawnna Silvius was approved after hours access to Red Oak City Hall by members of the Red Oak City Council.
Silvius said she was seeking the ability to access her office at city hall either before or after the normal business hours.
“As the chief executive officer of the city, as the elected mayor, I am charged with the responsibility of oversight of all records and departments, and so I am requesting that access,” Silvius said. “Keep in mind that I work in Omaha, so if I need to stop on the way to work, I need to be there by 6 a.m., and if I need to come in after work, sometimes I’m working until 9:30 p.m., so if I need to make copies for something I have the next day, I have to have that access.”
Councilperson Brian Bills expressed surprise that Silvius didn’t have the access already, and assumed it would have been granted when she was sworn in.  
Councilperson Tim Fridolph said he felt after hours access was important for Silvius.
“I couldn’t imagine not having keys or access. I know that I frequently have to do things outside of normal operating hours to do my job,” stated Fridolph.
Councilperson Jeanice Lester suggested a master calendar and a communications system due to the various meetings that happen there.
“The Red Oak Park and Tree Board meets there, and maybe we can generate some type of communication form or whatever so that there’s a calendar that says when they’re coming and who’s coming.  Open communication would really help so you’re not bunched up and no one is surprised,” said Lester.
As for any security concerns, Silvius felt the key fob that granted city hall access should be sufficient.
“If the fob is programmable for city hours, it should be programmable the whole time, and should track when anybody enters or exits the building, so in my mind, that should cover the security issue. Any documents that need to be locked up should be locked up,” commented Silvius.
Bills felt that city hall should have some sort of additional security system and the price should be right.
City Clerk Mary Bolton said she had been considering seeking an ICAP grant from the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool, that would provide up to $1,000 for safety, and that funding could be used for a city hall security system. Bolton said she would go ahead and apply for the grant.
A timeframe for when Silvius would be granted after hours access was not mentioned.