June 1, 2020 - League of Wisconsin Municipalities - COVID-19 Update #38
COVID-19 Coronavirus Update
Is someone forwarding these emails to you? You can subscribe here.
Also, please forward these to your newly elected officials
so that they can subscribe!
(We are entering new emails as fast as we can but they'll avoid missing any this way.)
League COVID-19 Virtual Roundtable Conference Calls
This call is for City/Village Officials,
including mgrs./adm. & Staff Only


Tuesday, June 2 - 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Learn more about the "Routes to Recovery: Local Government Aids Grant" program the state announced last week for distributing $190 million of federal CARES Act dollars to local governments. The program is being administered by DOA. Get answers to what qualifies as reimbursable expenses.

  • Jamie Kuhn, Outreach Director, Office of the Governor
  • Joanna Beilman-Dulin, Program & Policy Analyst, Office of the Secretary (DOA)
  • Dawn Vick, Administrator, Division of Intergovernmental Relations (DOA)

Join Zoom Meeting

Or Dial 312 626 6799

Meeting ID: 943 2945 2289
Password: 990365

If you aren't able to connect or have a question after participating, please contact Jerry Deschane at email .

We will schedule additional calls as needed. Notice and call-in information will be provided on the League's website and in these Special Edition newsletters, which will also be sent as needed.
Routes to Recovery: Local Government Aid Grants $190 million available to help cover Local Government COVID Expenses
The program is called "Routes to Recovery: Local Government Aid Grants" program and will help municipalities and counties cover unanticipated costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more in the League's Capitol Buzz.
Next League Local Government 101 Webinar is June 5 - Register today!

The League’s 1-day workshop provides a basic framework for governing to both new city and village officials and those who want to brush up on their knowledge of local governance. 
You’ll learn about city and village powers including municipal home rule, hear about how to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest, go home with a quick tutorial on municipal budgeting as well as how to run a meeting and finish with an overview on managing public works projects. In addition, you’ll have that age-old question answered: “what is a walking quorum anyway?”

The June 5 and June 26 one-day workshops will be provided as webinars - with more dates possible. Participants who opt for the online webinar version have the option to take the course all in one day or mix and match the four different modules during any of our offered webinar dates over a 12 month period following their registration. In addition to the online training, participants will have the option of receiving a hard copy workbook or a USB version.  The cost of the program is $70 per person. Details and Registration
ICYMI - FAQs from Treasury Department about use of CARES Act dollars.   Note the following information, which was taken from the FAQs here ( PDF)
 
The Guidance says that funding can be used to meet payroll expenses for public safety, public health, health care, human services, and similar employees whose services are substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. How does a government determine whether payroll expenses for a given employee satisfy the “substantially dedicated” condition? The Fund is designed to provide ready funding to address unforeseen financial needs and risks created by the COVID-19 public health emergency. For this reason, and as a matter of administrative convenience in light of the emergency nature of this program, a State, territorial, local, or Tribal government may presume that payroll costs for public health and public safety employees are payments for services substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency, unless the chief executive (or equivalent) of the relevant government determines that specific circumstances indicate otherwise.
If you haven't yet > TAKE ACTION to support Federal Funding

The National League of Cities is calling on the Senate and White House to embrace a new coronavirus relief bill introduced in the House that allocates $375 billion for the nation’s smaller cities, towns, counties and villages.

WHETHER YOU ARE A CITY OR VILLAGE AND NO MATTER YOUR SIZE, TAKE ACTION THROUGH THE NLC TO SUPPORT FEDERAL FUNDING

Click here to TAKE ACTION TODAY! Contact your congressional delegation, tweet, tell your story and DOWNLOAD A RESOLUTION !
We appreciate your patience!
The League’s attorneys are fielding an unusually large number of inquiries while, at the same time, needing to dedicate a substantial amount of our time to meetings and participating in training sessions for local officials. Consequently, you may experience a delay in response to legal inquiries. We appreciate your patience and will respond to your inquiry as soon as we can. Claire Silverman and Maria Davis
Planning for the Future
Download this PDF for use at your Village Hall! Thanks to Michelle Tucker, Support Services Mgr., Germantown for making this available to everyone!

NEW - What are your plans for public spaces? Add them to the League's Covid19 Public Space Response Strategies Google Doc

City/Village Hall, Streets, Parks, Parking Lots, Community/Senior Center, Library, etc. You can see what other communities are doing and add your own plans to the Google Doc here . (Modeled on the WPRA pool document.)

Click here for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Resources for Public Facilities.
DHSWI Interim Guidance on Large Gatherings
Interim guidance has been posted to the  DHS COVID-19 Avoid Illness page  regarding large gatherings under "Can I hold or should I go to a large gathering?" This includes any event in which large gatherings of people are in sustained, close contact, including, but not limited to, fairs, festivals, parades, and conferences. 
At this time, DHS does not advise large gatherings, and there is no projected time frame available as to when this advisory would change. 5/19/20

RESOLUTION RELATED TO COVID‐19 PREVENTION AND CONTROL IN THE CITY OF BELOIT
Read the Resolution Beloit's FAQs and additional information including translated into Spanish here .

Comprehensive 73 page plan with signage. Shared with permission.
Disclaimer - Please note, this document is a sample and has not been reviewed for legal sufficiency. Michigan law may differ and we encourage members to consult with their municipal attorney regarding questions of law. 

Implementation of the City of River Falls “Crushing COVID-19: A guide to recovery” will follow guidance and direction from the State of Wisconsin and public health officials throughout its response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s Badger Bounce Back plan serves as a framework for this guide.  Review the plan... (Please note that the state portion of the plan is being updated.)
Reminder - Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association Monitoring Pool Closures
WPRA has created an  online document  to monitor pool closures across the state, as of Monday, May 11th, 65 agencies have provided data. Pool closures are based on many factors including government restrictions, financial projections, public perception and above all the health and safety of Wisconsin communities. On a poll of 42 agencies conducted May 1st, half had not yet decided whether or not they will be opening at all this Summer, approximately 25% intend to make that decision this month (in May). 
Legal FAQs on local authority and information on Emergency Orders and municipal plans for reopening are avail able on the League's website here .
SUPPORTING BUSINESSES/COMMUNITY
Customizable Signs! Want to provide signs for your local businesses that they can customize?

Thanks to Leslie Flynn, Communications Coordinator, Oak Creek for creating these and providing them for everyone's use.
ICYMI - Sign on to support your community's Creative Businesses and Jobs
Thanks to Arts Wisconsin for taking the initiative, we're asking Wisconsin's mayors, village administrators, and city council and village board members to sign on to a letter to state and federal officials showing support for their community's creative businesses and jobs. 

“The arts and culture sector is an essential vehicle for healing and the equitable and sustainable redevelopment of cities and villages throughout Wisconsin,” says Jerry Deschane, League Director. “We encourage local officials to consider this investment for economic vitality, vibrant communities, and civic engagement.”

Click here for the letter and use this form to add your name.


In addition, Wauwatosa has provided a loan program, elements of which include:
  • Working capital loans up to $10,000 to businesses located in the City with an active storefront or office that also meet certain criteria. See more details within the Financial Affairs packet.
  • A five to seven loan year term at an interest rate of 2% per year with payments deferred for the first six months
  • Applicants submit a loan application and supporting documentation. See more details within the Financial Affairs packet.
  • Loan funds will be available for six months from the dates businesses are allowed to reopen in accordance with applicable law, unless program funds are fully disbursed sooner. Learn more here.


City of River Falls Recovery Revolving Loan Program for Businesses Learn more here... Click here to like or comment on the program on the League's LinkedIn page.


We are All In State Business Grants
WEDC will begin accepting online applications June 15 thru June 21 for $2,500 #WeAreAllIn grants for Small Businesses impacted by COVID19 . Details here .


Health Insurance Navigators
Are your constituents losing healthcare coverage as a result of the pandemic? Covering Wisconsin has  federally certified/State licensed navigators who provide free enrollment assistance for Badger Care and the federal Marketplace. Navigators also assist consumers with appeals, bills, and other issues relating to their healthcare coverage. They can be reached by calling (608)261-1455 or (414)270-4677. Covering Wisconsin has created a website for frequently asked questions concerning Covid-19. Click here to share this resource from the League's Facebook page to your own or your municipality's page.


REOPEN GUIDELINES by industry or type of business from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Click here to share the Guidelines from the League's Facebook page to your own or your municipalities page.
In the News
Protesters call for Mayor Kabat to address racial justice, systemic racism
In response, Mayor Kabat went to the intersection and said he is working closely with the police department. He said he will have an answer to the list of questions later this week. Read the article...

Hundreds of protesters march through downtown Waukesha as protests against the death of George Floyd spread
Members of the Waukesha Police Department share a moment and take a knee with the group protesting the death of George Floyd on Monday, June 1. The protest began at Frame Park, went to the Waukesha County Courthouse, into downtown and through other Waukesha neighborhoods.  Read the article...

‘We will be heard:’ Hundreds march through Eau Claire in George Floyd protest
"If you can teach your children who are growing up that just because I'm black, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to run in your house, I'm not going to rob you, I'm not going to shoot you," said protester Demetria Germaney. "Not all black people are harmful, and not all white people are racist."

Eau Claire police were in support of the protest, and coordinated with organizers to clear the route of the march and help direct traffic.

The Eau Claire Health Department also said on Friday that protests were permitted in the county's public health order as long as social distancing guidelines were still followed and masks were worn. Read the article...

‘Our property is replaceable. Black lives aren’t’: State Street bar owner reflects on violent protests
“As a State Street business we will say this. We have insurance,” the post starts out.

“While we don’t want to have our place damaged, if burning everything to the ground brings proper attention to the disgusting injustice in our country, so be it. Our property is replaceable. Black lives aren’t.” Read the article...

Dane County police chiefs condemn actions of Minneapolis officers following death of George Floyd; community members call for change
“Public trust with law enforcement is very fragile. Nothing can shatter it more than use of force by police,” Wahl said. “For all of the baby steps we’ve taken forward (to repair the relationship between police and the black community), something like this is one leap backward.” Read the article...


UPFRONT recap: Coronavirus cases climb in Wisconsin
“It is not surprising, as the state opens up more, that we will see increases in infections as more and more people come into contact with each other,” Palm said in an interview aired Sunday on “UPFRONT,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com.

Palm also said DHS is working closely with doctors at Children’s Wisconsin hospital on a rare inflammatory syndrome, believed to be related to COVID-19, that has been identified in seven Wisconsin children. Read the article and watch the interview...

' We'll keep pressing': Health officials call for testing all Amazon workers at Wisconsin facility
Executives also agreed to start privately testing Amazon employees for coronavirus, though not as quickly as health officials would like, said Jen Freiheit, health officer for Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

"They talked about a slow ramp up to testing," Freiheit said. "We would like to get all their employees tested immediately so we can contain the virus." Read the article...

More than 200 inmates at Waupun Correctional Institution test positive for coronavirus
More than 1,500 people at Waupun, including 1,181 inmates, have been tested this week by the Wisconsin National Guard, according to a department news release. At least 213 Waupun inmates have tested positive out about 600 results received so far — a positive rate of about 35%, according to department spokeswoman Anna Neal. Fifteen Waupun staff members also had tested positive as of Friday.

In contrast, about 5.4% of coronavirus tests statewide came back positive on Friday, according to the Department of Health Services. Read the article...

As Economy Reopens, Child Care Providers Grapple With How To Stay Safe, And Afloat
And the worry doesn’t stop at health concerns. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, financial strains were a reality for many child care centers that struggled with low pay, tight margins and high staff turnover.

Child care providers are in a difficult position. Essential workers with children rely on them to stay open, yet at the same time enrollment has plummeted — and child care centers' income with it — as more parents are staying home because of job loss, or keeping their kids home for safety reasons. Read the article...

Madison faces tough choices in divvying shrinking hotel room tax money
s the COVID-19 pandemic slashes people’s spending on travel and leisure, Madison’s Room Tax Commission must decide how to best invest dramatically reduced hotel room tax revenues into tourism marketing, Monona Terrace, Overture Center and the arts. Read the article...

DNR Free Fun Weekend in Wisconsin : No state park admission stickers or trail passes are required June 6-7, 2020. It is also Free Fishing Weekend when people may fish without fishing licenses or state trout stamps. Non-resident all-terrain vehicle operators do not need a non-resident trail pass to ride state ATV trails this weekend. Saturday, June 6 is also National Trails Day. 

Click here to share this event from the DNR's Facebook page to your own or your municipality's page.
The June 2020 League's The Municipality magazine is focused on New Officials and includes articles on leadership, dealing with the "The Outlier" on your governing body, additional costs associated with the pandemic, important legal distinctions that make governing different from running a business and much more.

Read it online here...
POLICY ISSUES
Frequently Asked Questions f rom the League's past COVID-19 Newsletters c an be accessed here .
If you don't find what you need or if you have resources to contribute,
please email Jerry Deschane.
Opportunity
Now might be the time to access Additional Resources through UniverCity

"The state of local government is up in the air with all the uncertainty of COVID-19. Wouldn't it be nice to have a partner helping you think through how your locality will bounce back? It could mean a revised economic development plan, or an improved mechanism for communicating with citizens or localities, or rethinking how county services will be offered, or how to think differently about tourism in this uncertain time. 
 
UniverCity Year is a flexible three-year partnership where local governments pitch ideas to UW-Madison, and they match you with courses and resources on campus that help you think through your approach to those issues. It could be COVID-19 response, or affordable housing, or water quality/nutrient management, or parks/recreation. We are willing to be flexible to adapt to this new reality, so your projects don't have to be fully formed. If you'd like to talk more about your options or questions, reach out to Gavin Luter, gavin@cows.org , Managing Director of the Program. 

To see deliverables for projects in places like Monona, Brodhead, Durand, Monroe, and Stockholm, see  https://univercity.wisc.edu/ucy/
 
The application is HERE ."
Reminder - Wondering what municipalities across the United States are doing?

Mayor's Innovation Project Live City Response Feed

"Our live city response feed provides you with a curated list from around the country, making it quick and easy to access the most relevant ideas for city leaders. Submit your own innovative policies here ." To see the city responses so far: 
 
Communications
WE CAN GO THE DISTANCE TOGETHER: 10 WAYS YOU CAN DO YOUR PART
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Communication Collaborative for COVID-19 Response has developed 10 essential steps to limit the spread of COVID-19. They reflect the overall need for maintaining a physical distance from each other, washing you hands and staying home: Read the article...
Webinars and Training
Next League Local Government 101 Webinar is June 5 - Register today!

We're adapting and have converted four of the one-day workshops into webinars - with more dates possible. Participants who opt for the online webinar version have the option to take the course all in one day or mix and match the four different modules during any of our offered webinar dates over a 12 month period following their registration. In addition to the online training, participants will have the option of receiving a hard copy workbook or a USB version. The cost of the program is $70 per person. Details and Registration
Local Government Essentials
Programs brought to you by the Local Government Center at UW-Madison Extension

Alcohol Beverage Regulation and Licensing – Part 2
Wednesday, June 3, 2020, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Part 1 was May 20.)
Part 2 is intended for both new and continuing officials who want to stay up-to-date with recent changes in the law, current issues, and Wisconsin Department of Revenue resources related to alcohol licensing. In addition to providing these updates, Mr. Quam will be available to answer any questions you submit ahead of time, and if time, those questions posed during the presentation. To submit questions, please email them by Wednesday, May 1, 2020 to  lgc@extension.wisc.edu .
Presented by Tyler Quam Special Agent-in-Charge at Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement Unit.


When Revenues Fall Short – Weathering the COVID-19 Recession
UW Madison Extension’s Local Government Center
June 9, 2020, from 10:00 am to 11:30

Wisconsin municipal governments are already feeling the COVID 19 recession’s impact, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better. Further, Retail and Main Street have taken an economic hit in our current environment. Non-essential businesses have lost sales and workers, and community leaders and economic development professionals are concerned about the future of local business districts. Room taxes and other revenues are significantly off across all sectors. This webinar will provide data and practical information on the potential revenue loss impacts on municipalities and how to anticipate and mitigate those impacts.

We bring together experts from Ehlers, KerberRose, the Wisconsin Policy Forum, and UW Madison Extension’s Community and Economic Development program, each of whom will provide data, practical advice, and potential solutions for local governments to consider as they deal with revenue shortfalls for 2020 and beyond.

Agenda details here .

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER’S “ISSUES, CHALLENGES, AND STRATEGIES” WEBSITE PROMOTING THIS WEBINAR, including Registration information:
Upcoming League Conferences and Workshops
Our priority is your safety and well-being. Decisions on whether to hold, cancel or postpone League events will be made with that priority as our number-one concern. 

League's Local Gov 101 Workshops - All spring and summer Local Gov 101 programs are being provided as webinars. Details here .

League's Municipal Attorneys Institute has been Rescheduled to September 2-4 at Stone Harbor in Sturgeon Bay! Registration will open in June.

Decisions about the other upcoming programs will also be made with health and safety in mind. We will provide notice in our newsletters and on our website regarding those and future workshops. Details on cancellation policies and more... 
League Handbooks

The following Handbooks are now available as a PDF at a reduced price for email delivery.

  • Handbook for Wisconsin Municipal Officials - PDF Available!
  • Handbook for Wisconsin Police and Fire Commissioners - Completely updated in Jan. 2019.  PDF Available!
  • Municipal Licensing and Regulation of Alcohol Beverages - Completely updated in Sept. 2019. PDF Available!

Physical PRINT copies of ALL Handbooks are also still available but on a delayed weekly shipping basis.    You can order Handbooks online here .
General Resources
Wisconsin DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
COVID-19 is a virus that has not previously infected humans and information about its rate of spread and its effects is still largely unknown, which makes it incredibly important to be highly cautious in dealing with the current situation. 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will continue to provide the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19. You are encouraged to monitor the site for updated guidance as the situation continues to evolve.

Want to share relevant and credible information to your Social Media?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Facebook & on Twitter (Scroll down to see more recent posts.)

The Wisconsin Dept of Health Services (DHS) on Facebook & on Twitter.

And the League's social media: