Two cities take steps to resume operations
Sterling Heights and Roseville making moves
A Macomb County community will soon begin opening city facilities while another returns to in-person city council meetings, a move that may signal a limited return to life before the coronavirus outbreak.
The Roseville City Council will meet Tuesday evening at City Hall, while Sterling Heights has developed a plan to reopen city facilities and restore non-essential municipal services.
News of the restorations come in anticipation that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer may allow government operations to resume after May 28, depending on the state’s COVID-19 caseload numbers.
On Thursday, the governor told WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) that
she may allow gatherings of 10 people or less “pretty quickly” under the next phase of the MI Safe Start Plan.
Roseville city officials say the council meetings will be open to the public starting Tuesday, but attendance will be limited to 10 people in council chambers. They said unless residents have a “critical” reason to attend, the public is still urged not to attend and instead watch the meeting on a cable TV channel or a social media platform.
“We will now plan to return to in-person meetings effective May 19, pending any future executive orders or complications related to COVID-19,” City Manager Scott Adkins wrote in an email.
Previous council sessions have been held virtually via the videoconferencing app Zoom to comply with the governor’s stayhome order. Adkins said he consulted with Mayor Robert Taylor about the move, following some obstacles posed by use of the Zoom app.
“It may provide some semblance of normal even with major safety adjustments and could become the norm for a period of time as we move forward,” he wrote in the email.
Among the restrictions for the council meeting are:
• Public attendance will be limited to 10 people at a time, but others may still view the meeting from open doors at the main entrance and may enter once someone else leaves.
• Pre-screening will be conducted prior to entry and members of the public must wear protective face masks. Disposable masks will be available.
• City Council members are to have no direct contact with the public.
• Public seating will be allowed with social distancing of six feet or more.
• There will be only one public comment opportunity, and people are encouraged to submit comments electronically.
Adkins said some issues with Zoom meetings have arisen including Zoombombing, where individuals cause disruptions on the conference call. There are also quality audio and video difficulties as well as not everyone is tech-savvy enough to participate.
Tuesday’s meeting will start at 5:30 p.m.
Elsewhere, Sterling Heights has developed a plan to reopen City Hall in the next couple of weeks with various safety restrictions aimed at preventing the transmission of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.
City Manager Mark Vanderpool said the detailed plan provides assurance that employees and the public can safely return to City Hall.
“While some of the facility changes and personal protection requirements being implemented may require some getting used to, it is critical for everyone’s health that we adhere to the plan,” he said in a news release. “We appreciate the patience of our residents as we work through this transitional period in the most effective and safest way possible.”
Among the highlights, two pools of employees were developed to work on alternate daily schedules, while others will continue to work from home. Hours of operations will be adjusted to reduce the need for employee coverage during lunch periods.
Also, two building attendants will monitor the number of visitors to make sure they don’t overwhelm staff at service counters and to observe social distancing. Each of the five service counters will have one visitor at a time, and overflow will be seated in a waiting area with not less than six feet of spacing between seats.
During high-traffic times, overflow visitors will be given beepers that will activate when there is a counter person available. A public outreach program will be launched on the array of services — from paying taxes to pulling permits — that can be completed online.
More information is available at sterlingheights.net/returntowork
Every city employee at City Hall will fill out a daily health screening that includes a health assessment questionnaire and temperature check. Both employees and visitors will be required to wear a face mask while in public spaces.
All facilities will be equipped with multiple hand-sanitizing stations and municipal buildings will be thoroughly cleaned daily, with deep cleaning performed on Saturdays.