June 29, 2020 - League of Wisconsin Municipalities - COVID-19 Update #42
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COVID-19 Coronavirus Update
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Is someone forwarding these emails to you? You can subscribe
here
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League COVID-19
Virtual Roundtable Conference Calls
This call is for City/Village Officials,
including mgrs./adm. & Staff Only
Tuesday,
July 14
- 4:00-5:00 p.m.
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
.
NEWSLETTER SCHEDULE
- A reminder that going forward the League's Special Edition Covid-19 Newsletter will be sent as needed rather than weekly.
Notice and call-in information will be provided on the League's
website
if there is no newsletter that week.
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Reminder -
DOA Releases Routes to Recovery Program Guidance for Local Governments
On Friday, June 19, the Department of Administration released a
Routes to Recovery Program Guidance for Local Governments
providing information on what COVID-19 related expenses incurred by municipalities in response to the pandemic are eligible for reimbursement under the $190 million grant program funded by the federal CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. With one exception, the Guidance seems to allow more types of COVID-19 related expenses to be reimbursed than Department of Administration staff had initially said would be allowed when the program was first announced two weeks ago.
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Legal FAQs on local authority and information on Emergency Orders and municipal plans for reopening are available on the League's website
here
.
The new toolkit is also posted to that page.
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PSC Provides More Information on Ending Utility Disconnection and Late Payment Fee Moratorium
On June 26 the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) issued an
order
providing municipal utilities with more detailed information about ending the COVID-19 related moratorium on service disconnections and charging late payment fees.
The Order
specifies
(PDF) (Memo by Curt Witynski, Deputy Director, League of Wisconsin Municipalities.)
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Avoiding Common Mistakes
July 8 - 9:00 - 4:00 with an hour break for lunch - Webinar
Attendance is
free
for League members insured by LWMMI; for League members not insured by LWMMI, the League has reduced its usual one-day training registration fee to $50.
What will you learn?
These sessions will focus on scenarios inspired by real-life examples to illustrate how controversial decisions, compounded by poor municipal governance, can quickly spin out of control.
League attorneys, Claire Silverman and Maria Davis, will provide an overview of the legal framework governing body members must use when making decisions and explore how deviating from that framework can expose municipalities to liability, damage the municipality’s reputation, and hijack the municipal agenda.
On the HR side of things, Lisa Bergersen of EngageHR Law, LLC will help attendees navigate a number of human resources and employment law compliance issues that come up with some frequency including wage and hour, harassment/discrimination/bullying, family and medical leave laws, and social media. Lisa will also cover best practices in areas such as handbooks, workplace safety, counseling/discipline/terminations, and documentation.
Details and registration
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TELL US!
The League’s Community Equity and Inclusion Survey through Polco/National Research Center
Gathering a diverse range of voices, that may not be heard otherwise, is key to the decision-making process. Polco/National Research Center has developed the Community Equity and Inclusion (CEI) Survey and made it available to anyone who wants to field it in their community. (Polco is a Wisconsin based company so they are particularly interested in your input!)
The League is fielding this 20-question survey statewide – please
take the survey here
!
Click
here
to share the survey from the League's Facebook page to your own or your municipalities. All responses are confidential. Respondents do have the option of setting up an account to be notified if there are additional surveys your community chooses to publish.
Since the League survey will only capture data by county,
we encourage you to field your own Community Equity and Inclusion Survey for data specific to your residents
. The CEI Survey is
free
for local governments to use on Polco and it’s easy. Learn how to post your community specific survey:
Community Equity and Inclusion (CEI) Survey How To
and assess how welcome people feel in your community.
Polco is free for other surveys!
If you would like to survey your residents on other issues, you can do so for free! Polco's online engagement tool is used in hundreds of communities around the country to receive civil and reliable input from verified residents. Polco knows that budgets are tight, so they've released a free version of Polco with everything you need to engage your community online. Contact Cory Poris Plasch at
[email protected]
or 630-476-0763 for more information.
Covid-19 Surveys! The National Community Survey™ CARES (The NCS™ CARES)
To assist local governments in gathering data, Polco's research team (National Research Center, NRC) created The National Community Survey™ CARES (The NCS™ CARES), which offers local leaders essential resources for creating a robust and data-informed recovery plan. The survey tools and online platform allow local leaders to directly engage residents and ensure accurate and actionable feedback. Learn more
here
(PDF)
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Traffic Safety Survey - WisDOT
(
As seen on
Twitter
.)
"WE WANT TO KNOW: What are your biggest traffic safety concerns? Fill out our
anonymous survey
and help shape the State Highway Safety Plan. About 700 people have responded so far. Our goal is 1,000 respondents. The
deadline is June 30
."
Click
here
to share this survey from the League's Facebook page to your own or your municipalities. It is also posted, and shareable, from the League's LinkedIn page
here
.
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WIPPS Research Partners – COVID 19 Return to Work Survey Available
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Reminder -
Adopt the Your "City/Village is Essential" Resolution
WEST SALEM IS ESSENTIAL
SUPPORT OF FAIR, DIRECT FEDERAL EMERGENCY SUPPORT TO REOPEN AND REBUILD LOCAL AMERICAN ECONOMIES
WHEREAS, America's cities, towns, and villages face unprecedented threats due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic emergency; and
WHEREAS, municipalities are essential to America's economic recovery and
without funding support for local governments, municipalities may go from being a critical part of the economic solution, to becoming a major obstacle to long-term stabilization and recovery; and....
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2020 Census
Notice from the Census - JUNE 24, 2020
— The U.S. Census Bureau is sending
postcards
between June 24 and July 3 to an estimated 1.3 million post office boxes in communities where P.O. boxes are the only mailing address available. The postcards alert households that a census taker may drop off census invitations soon or will visit later to interview them. The postcards also provide information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online or by phone.
Households are encouraged to respond to the 2020 Census as soon as they receive their invitation packet. Households that receive mail in P.O. boxes should provide their street address (not their P.O. box number) when responding to ensure their response is associated with the physical location where they live, not where they receive mail.
Households can respond online
in English or 12 other languages
, by phone using the Census ID included in the packet or by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire delivered to them.
National League of Cities
Census Toolkit
with information including posters that you can download and customize for your community.
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Reminder
- COVID-19: CARES Act Provider Payments
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is accepting applications from specific types of health care providers to receive pandemic relief funds. These funds are meant to offset losses and expenses incurred during March, April, and May 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds for these payments were provided to the State under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Included in the list of five different recipient categories are:
4) Emergency Medical Service Agencies
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League of Wisconsin Municipalities
Toolkit
for Implementing Municipal Safer at Home Restrictions
When
the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down DHS’s Emergency Order 28, Safer at Home, as invalid and unenforceable on May 13, local governments
were
presented with the question of whether to adopt and enforce local safer at home restrictions to quell the spread of COVID-19 within their communities and to ensure local health facilities have adequate capacity for dealing with COVID patients.
Municipalities without a health department must abide by any safer at home restrictions imposed by the county health officer. If the county health officer has not issued a county safer at home order, municipal policymakers have the discretion to issue safer at home orders to prevent or minimize the spread of COVID-19 within their communities, pursuant to their emergency powers under Ch. 323.
While m
ost
communities as of early summer 2020 have decided not to enact local safer at home orders, the League has prepared this Local Safer at Home Tool Kit in case circumstances change in the future and local policymakers
become
interested in adopting safer at home orders to address a surge in COVID-19 cases within their community. The Toolkit explains municipal authority to adopt and implement safer at home restrictions, includes sample local safer at home orders, and provides links to county level COVID
-19
data and metrics to support local safer at home orders. Access the
League's toolkit
.
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Reminder -
Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association Monitoring Pool Closures
WPRA has created an
online document
to monitor pool closures across the state. Pool closures are based on many factors including government restrictions, financial projections, public perception and above all the health and safety of Wisconsin communities.
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Reminder -
Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction issues
guidance
on a safe return to in-person instruction
Education Forward contains scenarios and considerations for safely and successfully reopening Wisconsin schools.
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SUPPORTING BUSINESSES/COMMUNITY
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Reminder -
Examples of Wisconsin's Local Governments Innovating during Covid-19
Kaukauna's
Temporary Outdoor Seating Area Permit
(PDF) Not sure if this permit is the right one for your specific business? This
document
(PDF) will help guide you to the correct permit based on your business' location and licensure. Click
here
to comment or like this on the League's LinkedIn page.
Under the Streatery Program, Restaurants and Taverns may temporarily establish or expand outdoor seating in the following four ways as they recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Wauwatosa's
"
Common Council approved the "Tosa Restarts" program as a way to expedite review and approval processes for a variety of activities. The goal is to generate vibrancy within Wauwatosa’s commercial districts, as well as eliminate or reduce fees where allowed. Normally, these activities would require a board approval. Following the submission of an application, city staff will review and provide appropriate approvals within 72 hours or less."
Tosa Restarts Temporary Regulatory Relief Program
(PDF)
More resources will be posted to the League's Small Businesses and Downtowns Covid-19 page
here
If you have a resource to share, please send a link to the program to
Gail Sumi at
[email protected]
Thanks!
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Why a Rotting Green Bay Boardwalk May Help Solve America’s Jobs Crisis
And Green Bay, Wis., hopes to pay the out-of-work to fix a decades-old rotted boardwalk in a major recreation area.
Across the country, state and local officials are considering ways to directly hire their out-of-work constituents, hoping that they can pay them to clean up parks, assist in conservation efforts and form the backbone of the public health response to the virus.
Read the article...
We could be feeling this for the next decade: Virus Hits College Town
Where business as usual has been tried, punishment has followed: This week, Iowa health authorities reported case spikes among young adults in its two largest college towns, Ames and Iowa City, after the governor allowed bars to reopen. And on campuses across the country, attempts to bring back football teams for preseason practice have resulted in outbreaks.
More than 130 coronavirus cases have been linked to athletic departments at 28 Division I universities. At Clemson, at least 23 football players and two coaches have been infected. At Arkansas State University, seven athletes across three teams tested positive. And at the University of Houston, the athletic department stopped off-season workouts after an outbreak was discovered.
Read the article...
Click
here
to see this post on the League's Facebook page - so you can like, comment or share the post.
Commentary: Past pandemics changed the design of cities. Six ways COVID-19 could do the same
It’s clear that the coronavirus will have — and is already having— a similarly profound effect on today’s built world. It’s shaking loose notions of what is “normal” in a field still employing many of the same techniques it did a century ago. And it’s pushing forward promising but still emerging currents, from prefabrication to telecommuting.
Here is a look at six methods playing a prominent role in the age of COVID-19. If history is a guide, their temporary rise likely will become permanent, at least in some form.
Read the article...
Click
here
to share this from the League's Facebook to your own, or like and comment.
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The Assembly Committee on Education recently held an informational hearing on guidance for school reopening. Jennifer Kammerud, senior policy advisor for DPI, highlighted that every school district will make their own decisions on how they will reopen in the fall. Kammerud also explained that the guidance provides resources to schools for scenarios regarding remote learning as well as in person schooling with social distancing and the use of masks in place. "This will mean changes to school operations if those recommendations are followed...We want to make sure that we are providing school districts with the flexibility they need to focus on what they need to do to ensure continuity of learning and to support the learning that has to occur," Kammerud said. Watch the
full program
.
Subscribe to Morning Minute
:.
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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.
The
June E-Mun
i
, the League’s Deep Dive into the magazine, includes direct links to the legal articles from the March, April and May articles as well as the June issue.
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Frequently Asked Questions
f
rom the League's past COVID-19 Newsletters c
an be accessed
here
.
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Kteille Smith, ADN at St. Paul Elder Services, Inc. talks about why it is important to stay safe. Watch this Wisconsin Department of Health Services
video
on YouTube. Click
here
to like, comment or share it from the League's Facebook page to your own or to your municipality's page.
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Wisconsin Connect Covid-19 Resource
Looking for a great public health supported Covid-19 resource to share with your community?
Wisconsin Connect
has information in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Chinese Mandarin. Information is updated frequently and is brought to you in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
- Let's Talk - Share your thoughts or ask a question.
- ALL ABOUT COVID-19 - Risks, symptoms, testing, isolation, recovery, and more
- Covid-19 Fact Checker - Don't know what to believe. Find the facts.
- Prevent and Protect - Up to date advice for keeping yourself, your family, and your community safe.
- Calming
- Resource Center
- Coping - Job loss, handling kids, worry, conflict, grief ... and more
Connect to these resources
here
. Click here to share it from the League's Facebook page to your own or your municipality's page. You can also download the photo and post it as a link on your municipality's Covid Resource page.
This is a project funded by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health from the Wisconsin Partnership Program.
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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...
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Avoiding Common Mistakes
July 8 - 9:00 - 4:00 with an hour break for lunch - Webinar
Attendance is
free
for League members insured by LWMMI; for League members not insured by LWMMI, the League has reduced its usual one-day training registration fee to $50.
What will you learn?
These sessions will focus on scenarios inspired by real-life examples to illustrate how controversial decisions, compounded by poor municipal governance, can quickly spin out of control.
League attorneys, Claire Silverman and Maria Davis, will provide an overview of the legal framework governing body members must use when making decisions and explore how deviating from that framework can expose municipalities to liability, damage the municipality’s reputation, and hijack the municipal agenda.
On the HR side of things, Lisa Bergersen of EngageHR Law, LLC will help attendees navigate a number of human resources and employment law compliance issues that come up with some frequency including wage and hour, harassment/discrimination/bullying, family and medical leave laws, and social media. Lisa will also cover best practices in areas such as handbooks, workplace safety, counseling/discipline/terminations, and documentation.
Details and registration
Racism As Trauma: What Helping Professionals Need to Know
Fee: $35 per registered participant
Continuing Education Credits available
Space is limited!
An interactive talk for front-line workers and leadership in helping professions like child and family welfare, behavioral/mental health, education, criminal justice, and healthcare, this program addresses the 400-year history and impacts of the USA’s racial hierarchy, its implications for all Americans, and what helping professionals can do to make a difference.
Presented by Nurturing Diversity Partners, Inc, Milwaukee
In collaboration with the Family Nurturing Center of Texas
SAVE THE DATE for the League's Chief Executives Workshop
August 25, 26, 27 - 11:30 - 1:30 each day - Webinar
We'll be providing three engaging webinars. Each will include a panel discussion, time for questions and a roundtable. Details to be announced soon!
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with Opportunities, Events, Grants & Training For You
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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.
Decisions about 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...
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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
.
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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.
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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.)
And the League's social media:
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