Once Tuesday’s election is complete, Sturgeon Bay City Hall is closed to the general public for the foreseeable future. All business by city staff and the Municipal Services department will be conducted by email, telephone, or appointment if necessary.
Administrator Josh VanLieshout says in a press release, there are two reasons for the closure. The primary one is to limit exposure to COVID-19 for city employees. Secondly, VanLieshout says that should absences pile up, it will pose problems in effectively providing needed services. Several departments have only a few members, and crosstraining them to assist elsewhere makes it unlikely that they would be able to execute their primary jobs.
The full press release is below.
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The rapidly rising number of active COVID-19 cases in Door County has caused the City to re-evaluate walk-in counter services at City Hall and Municipal Services. Following completion of the November 3, 2020 election, City Hall and Municipal Services will be closed to walk in customers beginning Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
The steps we are implementing will impact people in our community; some may feel these steps are invasive and perhaps unnecessary. Limiting opportunity for transmission is a proven strategy that can play a critical role in slowing an outbreak of COVID-19 and continuance of delivery of City services. The main reasons for taking this action include:
- As the volume of active cases in Door County continues to rise, there is a greater likelihood that City employees will be exposed to the COVID virus.
- While there is redundancy and cross training multiple people out at the same time could impair the City’s ability to provide some services and carry out some functions. This is especially so in the smaller administrative departments.
As we learned after the April election, most walk-in type services can be delivered by telephone, email, or, if necessary, by appointment. For any business that needs to be conducted at City Hall, Municipal Services or Sturgeon Bay Utilities, we ask people to consider visiting our website or calling the appropriate office, rather than visiting in person. The objective is to limit the opportunity for disease transmission as much as possible.
For residents and customers with invoices to pay, the following options are available to you:
- If to the City
By mail to: City of Sturgeon Bay
421 Michigan Street
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 54235
Electronically by accessing:
https://www.sturgeonbaywi.org/pay-online/
In Person at: Drop box outside of City Hall
- If to Sturgeon Bay Utilities
By mail to: Sturgeon Bay Utilities
PO Box 27
Sturgeon Bay WI 54235
*Please include the top stub of the bill to assure that your account is properly credited.
Electronically by accessing:
https://www.sbunet.com/bill-payment-options
In Person at: Drop box outside of City Hall
For contractors, we are still processing all permits, forms and documents as normal. We ask that you consider ways to conduct business with staff in a virtual manner or over the phone where possible. The Office of the Zoning Administrator can be reached at 746-2907 and Building Inspector at 746-2915.
Meetings of the Common Council and committees are still open to the public, but we encourage people to consider sharing any feedback with council members via email or telephone. The email addresses of each common council member can be found at: https://www.sturgeonbaywi.org/government/city-council/.
People who would normally attend a meeting in person, you may also watch meetings of the Common Council and Plan Commission live on the cable channel 988 or at https://sbtv.viebit.com/ .
City Hall is closed for general public tours including areas occupied by fire and police. The department will continue to provide fire inspection services and respond to all calls for service. They continue to implement additional protective measures for staff and the public. If you have non-emergency questions, you may call the fire department at 746-2916.
Sturgeon Bay Police Department has also cancelled public education and finger printing for non-criminal matters. The department will continue as normal to respond to calls for service. If you have a non-emergency or other concern, please contact the police department at 746-2450.
Municipal Services operations such as leaf, solid waste, storm sewer and street maintenance will continue. Walk-in services will be by appointment only.
City parks, courts, and trails remain open for the public’s use.
The best information on containing this virus continues to be found at the following websites:
- Wisconsin department of Health Services
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Door County Health & Human Services
- Door County Medical Center
For General information regarding services and resources in the community:
Our local business have done their part to stay open to serve their customers and fulfill community needs while adhering to the orders issued by the Wisconsin department of Health. Please do your part by supporting them. Our local businesses provide jobs and incomes to many of our families, friends and neighbors.
Continue to practice good cold and flu etiquette by containing coughs and sneezes, regularly washing your hands, cleaning work spaces and common areas. Please continue to wear a mask when in public or a group setting, practice social distancing, and as much as possible conducting business either by phone or email.
