July 13, 2020 - League of Wisconsin Municipalities - COVID-19 Update #43
COVID-19 Coronavirus Update
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League COVID-19 Virtual Roundtable Conference Calls
This call is for City/Village Officials,
including mgrs./adm. & Staff Only


NOTE - Notice and call-in information will be provided on the League's website if there is no newsletter.

Tuesday, July 14 - 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 21 - 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.
Highlights
Take the League Survey on Mask Mandates!

Please take this easy League survey through SurveyMonkey. It will take you 2 minutes and will be very helpful! Don't worry about coordinating just one response from your municipality - just do it.
Examples of Mask Mandates

Public Health - Madison & Dane County
"On July 7, we put out a new order requiring face coverings being worn in Dane County. 
  • Per the order PDF , people five years of age and older must wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth when in public, which includes in businesses, health care settings, waiting in line, and on public transportation. This order goes into effect on July 13, 2020 at 8:00am.
  • Exceptions are made for certain activities such as eating at a restaurant, but during those activities, 6 feet distancing is required at all times. Some people are also exempted if they have a physical, mental, or developmental condition that prevents them from wearing a mask."

Village of Shorewood
"The Village Board conducted a special meeting Wednesday, July 8 to discuss and consider an ordinance that would require community members to wear a mask. The Village Board adopted an ordinance that contains the following actions:" Read more...

City of Milton Draft Policy for Employees/Elected Officials
Purpose: This policy (PDF) outlines the work rule for City of Milton staff and elected officials to wear cloth face coverings when inside City of Milton facilities in public, shared, or common areas and when conducting business with the public. 

Scroll down to "In the News" to see more about Green Bay, La Crosse, Milwaukee and others. Access the Local "Safer At Home" toolkit .
“Safer Racine” Ordinance Remains in Effect Pending Appeal

After a Racine County Circuit Court judge court judge invalidated regulations ordered by the City of Racine’s public health administrator, relying in part on the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision in Wisconsin Legislature v. Palm , the City adopted those regulations by ordinance. The circuit court judge, upset by this action and characterizing it as an end run around his earlier decision, declared the City’s “Safer Racine” ordinance unconstitutionally vague, overbroad, and unenforceable.

On July 3, the City of Racine scored an important victory when the Wisconsin court of appeals granted the City’s request to stay the circuit’s order pending appeal. This means the City’s ordinance remains in effect while the circuit court’s order is appealed.   Read the full Legal Note. (PDF)
Important - Please take action! US Senators Baldwin and Johnson need to hear from you ASAP!

"Take action on COVID-19 today! As a local leader, you know the impact federal decisions have on our communities. Local and community leaders can work to ensure that Congress and the Administration make local issues a priority in the national COVID-19 response." Take action through the National League of Cities Action Alert today!

How will American cities avoid economic catastrophe? Read the story...

State, local governments wrestle over quickly dwindling coronavirus aid, complicating talks on next federal bill Read the story...
The League's Capitol Buzz Newsletter

July 13, 2020 - Sup. Ct. Invalidates Veto Changing $90 Million Supplemental LRIP Funding in State Budget
July 7, 2020  - DOT Urges Quick Action on Local Permits Necessary to Obtain Aggregate for Road Projects
July 1, 2020   - 2021 WRS Contribution Rates Stay the Same for Most Part

Read all of the Capitol Buzz Newsletters - sent as needed.
FEMA Schedule of Public Assistance Webinars for the Week of 7/13/20 Webinars will be offered through Zoom.
Join the
We're All In Campaign

Use the #WereAllIn hashtag on Twitter and Facebook. Tag the League and we'll repost.
We're All In Resources https://www.weareallinwi.com/
People’s Maps Commission

Governor Evers announced in his 2020 State of the State address that he would create by  Executive Order  a nonpartisan redistricting commission.  
 
The People’s Maps Commission will consist of one person from each of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts, which is why we need you all to share the application information to encourage people who are interested to apply. 
State of Wisconsin Governor's Task Force on Climate Change

Provide Input
  • Submit a written comment on the Comments page.
  • Provide live public comment during scheduled times of Subcommittee and Task Force member meetings.
  • Attend and provide live pu​blic commen​t during Virtual Public Listening Sessions.

Next Public Listening Session
July 15, 2020, 6:00pm-8:00pm
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. 

The Routes to Recovery Key Takeaways (PDF) is posted to our website here on the "Financing Impacts" page and may be updated as warranted.   
Legal FAQs on local authority and information on Emergency Orders and municipal plans for reopening are available on the League's website here . The toolkit is also posted to that page.
Reminder - Adopt the Your "City/Village is Essential" Resolution

You can use  West Salem's resolution   (PDF) and as a Word Document (this will download to your computer) as an example:

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....

Please send a copy of your resolution to the League at league@lwm-info.org Thanks!
Funding
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

More information here .
Planning for the Future
Reminder - 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 .
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.
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.
In the News
Republican leader: Wisconsin does not need face mask mandate
Vos said that response to any outbreaks should be handled at the local level.

"I don't think we need a mandatory mask requirement simply from the fact, I think people will do what's right. They don't need a mandate to do that," he said.

Vos said he doesn't believe Wisconsin has "seen a dramatic increase in hospitalization."

"We have seen a small increase in deaths, which is a good thing. I think that's because people are doing all the smart things. So, again, I don't think we need a one-size fits-all solution at the state level," he said.

Vos said he does support local city governments, like Milwaukee, instituting their own mask mandates.

"That's a local decision that they have to make," he said. Read the article...

Masks don’t just save lives. They boost the economy
At this point, we know that wearing masks can help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But a team at Goldman Sachs Research believes that it’s also beneficial for the economy.

In a recent report, the economists argue that mask wearing could avert economic shutdowns and save 5% of U.S. GDP.

According to the research, a federal mandate forcing people to wear masks in public could lower the national daily growth rate of new coronavirus infections from 1.6% to 0.6%. To achieve a similar decrease in infections by closing businesses would bring about a fall in GDP of 5%. In other words, masks work very well at curbing the spread of the disease and are far less economically painful than shutting down the economy. Read the article...  Click here to see this post on the League's Facebook page - so you can like, comment or share the post.

As COVID-19 Cases Rise in Douglas County, Superior Mayor Moves Toward Mask Mandate
“We are in a crisis in Douglas County. This is very much an emergency and this virus is spreading through our community. And so there are a lot of precautions people need to take in their everyday life,” Paine said Wednesday.

This comes as 11 new positive cases have been reported within the last week in Douglas County bringing the total to 48, which is more than double the number of confirmed cases in the county from nearly two weeks ago after going weeks without any cases.

Two of the confirmed cases are city of Superior employees, according to Paine.

Mayor Paine says the employees have since recovered and returned to work, and he believes there are no current cases within City Hall. Read the article...


Mask ordinance to be considered for city of Green Bay
Talk to Green Bay Alderperson Randy Scannell and he’ll tell you many aren’t taking the coronavirus seriously.

“This is a health issue, we’re in the middle of a pandemic. I keep having to stress that, cause I think people are just behaving like it doesn’t exist,” said Scannell.

But he has no doubt and he has dire concerns that with one misstep, cases in our area could surge.

“It just takes a few to infect many and then we’re back to square one, where we’re probably shutting the city down again,” he said. Read the article...


‘Lead by example:’ Shorewood mask mandate for anyone 4+ inside public places passes
After nearly five hours of discussion, the Shorewood Village Board on Wednesday night, July 8 voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that will require anyone 4 years of age and older to wear a face mask in indoor public places. The original draft of the ordinance included an outdoor requirement as well, but after some opposition, board members removed that section.

The indoor mask requirement -- which applies to public places -- could start as early as next week. Village officials said they are still finalizing the date it will take effect. Read the article...


City of La Crosse can issue mask mandate, health leaders say
“There is a statewide committee that is nearing the end of their analytical review of the legality and the guidelines for health officers and health departments,” Rombalski said.

But she says it shouldn’t take an order for people to wear masks.

“This is in my opinion the single-most simple and easy tool that we are not maximizing in our community,” Rombalski said.

A mask mandate in Rochester started Wednesday and will last until September.

On Friday, Winona will do the same for the next 30 days. Read the article...


Racine holds community hearing on police reform
Racine city leaders hope the community can help answer big questions on how to improve policing. Read the article... Click here to like, comment and share the article on the League's LinkedIn page.
CONNECT
Boost your connections on LinkedIn!

Comment on this post on the League's LinkedIn page to connect with people working in municipalities or interested in municipal issues. Once you've commented, take a look at the other people that have commented and reach out to connect with them.

The League's strength is the community we've created and since LinkedIn is a great way to connect, we can use LinkedIn as a tool to enhance those connections.
The July 2020 The Municipality
The state of the economy and municipal finance considerations in the age of Covid-19 are the articles that anchor the magazine - authored by experts at the Center for Community and Economic Development Dept of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Division of Extension, University of Wisconsin--Madison and by Ehlers. The 6 steps of project prioritization by MSA and cybersecurity by Incrediblebank round out the articles. Curt Witynski also provides a review of the legislative session to date and Claire Silverman provides an overview of recreational immunity

Read it online here...

Note - if you work for a League member municipality and previously shared a magazine with colleagues but would now like your own, please send an email with your mailing address to  league@lwm-info.org There is no additional cost.

 ICYMI - The League’s  June 2020 E-Newsletter  with Opportunities, Events, Grants & Training For You. 

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.  
POLICY ISSUES
Frequently Asked Questions f rom the League's past COVID-19 Newsletters c an be accessed here .
Communications
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 cporis@polco.us 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)
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
Racism As Trauma: What Helping Professionals Need to Know
July 14, 2020 – 3:00-5:30pm CT –  Register here
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
Reggie Jackson, Dr. Fran Kaplan, and  Sonya Thorn
In collaboration with the Family Nurturing Center of Texas


All America City Promising Practices Webinar: Community Solutions to School Readiness in the Time of COVID
July 16th @ 12:00PM CT
Join the National Civic League and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for this webinar featuring three innovative communities that are combating the compounded challenges of early school success in the time of Coronavirus.


The League's Chief Executives Workshop
August 25, 26, 27 - 11:30 - 1:30 each day - Webinar

The League’s Chief Executives Workshop is coming to you!

The 2020 Chief Executives Workshop will be held in your office this year. Due to the pandemic, the League’s annual municipal leadership event will be held virtually. Join us August 25-27 for three lunch and learn programs from 11:30am – 1:30pm. Each day’s workshop will consist of a guest presenter or moderated panel discussion followed by a question and answer period with the speaker or panel, which will then lead into an open-ended roundtable discussion.  

Agenda
Tuesday, August 25:  Never Waste a Crisis: Silver Linings within the Pandemic -- Scott Botcher, Fox Point Village Manager; Scot Simpson, River Falls City Administrator

Wednesday, August 26:  State Finances, Shared Revenue, & the November Election -- Jason Stein, Research Director, Wisconsin Policy Forum; Charles Franklin, Director of the Marquette Law School Poll

Thursday, August 27:  Leading Amid Conflict – Mayor Mike Palm, Baraboo; Mayor Dan Devine, West Allis. Moderated by Eric Giordano, Executive Director, Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service.


$50 for all three lunch and learns. Join us for one or join us for all – the price is the same. One lunch is included. Your registration includes a $10 certificate for either Culver’s or Kwik Trip.

Registration deadline is close of business August 24, 2020. Refunds minus $10 administrative fee will be granted for cancellations received by five business days prior to event (Aug 18.)
The League’s  June 2020 E-Newsletter  
with Opportunities, Events, Grants & Training For You 
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... 
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: