by Kevin Dorn, City Manager
With the recent spike in Covid-19 cases I have decided that we need to return to the safety protocols we had in place back in the summer. This decision was consistent with the Governor’s actions taken during his Covid-19 press conference on Friday, November 13.
City Hall is now shut down to all public visitors except for those who need to view documents in the City Clerk’s office. Access to the City Clerk’s office is by appointment only at this time. Virtually all City Hall staff are now working remotely. So, services are being provided and the work of the City is moving forward in a disbursed manner.
The Library is also closed to the public but staff will make holds and requests available for pickup Monday, Thursday and Friday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Patrons may place holds online, or call and email the library staff to renew checked out materials and make any new requests. Bags of surprise books are again available - just give staff some parameters. Items will be labeled and the carts will be located for pick up inside the mall, in front of the library windows. If you can't come inside, call the library from the parking garage and staff will bring your items out during those hours. Please also make sure to check your receipts for due dates. There will be no pickup November 26 & 27.
Employees deemed essential are still working normal shifts. This includes staff at the Police Department, the Fire Department and the Department of Water Quality. All staff at the Department of Public Works continue on their normal work shifts as they are able to socially distance in doing their work.
At this time I do not anticipate any staff furloughs. We currently have 10 authorized positions that will remain unfilled for an extended period of time and we have eliminated two positions no longer needed or where jobs could be consolidated. These savings on the personnel side along with a continued budget and capital spending freeze are part of our strategy to address what we believe will be a significant shortfall in revenue during this fiscal year (ending June 30, 2021).
The actions I have taken are consistent with both the Governor’s directives and what we are seeing in our neighboring communities.
We hope that the COVID numbers begin to turn around soon and go back to levels where we feel it is safe for the public and for our staff to re-open closed offices. Please monitor our South Burlington website or our other social media for updates.
All City offices will be closed Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th.