Whitefish Bay Declares State Of Emergency, Village Hall Closed

WHITEFISH BAY, WI — Citing the need to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the Whitefish Bay Village Board declared a state of emergency in Whitefish Bay on Tuesday night, March 17.

Officials said their declaration is in line with action taken by the Federal, State and County levels of government in response to COVID-19. Whitefish Bay's declaration will enable Village officials to exercise powers in an expedited manner at the local level in the interest of the health, safety, welfare and good order of the Village of Whitefish Bay, officials said Wednesday.

The full Emergency Declaration Resolution is available by clicking here.

Village Services Affected

A number of village services have been affected as a result of the emergency declaration, including Village Hall access, and a number ways to pay common items like property taxes, parking tickets among others.

Village Hall:

• Village Hall will be closed to the public effective March 17. Public access will resume on Monday, April 13, 2020 unless modified earlier. The Village Board will revisit this issue on Monday, April 6, 2020.
• Village Hall staff will report to work throughout the closure period. Phone lines will remain operational and staff will answer calls during normal business hours.

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Payments:

• Property Taxes, Utility Bills, Parking Permits, and Citations can be paid online by clicking here. Credit card processing fees have been temporarily waived.
• Utility Bills scheduled to be mailed in April will be postponed to May.

Elections:

• Village Staff is urging ALL voters to request an absentee ballot for the April 7 election. The Village is sending all registered voters a request for absentee ballot in the mail this week. You can complete the request and return to Village Hall by mail.
• If the State of Wisconsin does not amend the requirement to provide in-person absentee voting/registration hours, Village Hall will be open solely for that purpose on days/times to be announced shortly.

Refuse and Recycling:

• At this time, refuse and recycling collection and other DPW services are proposed to continue subject to compliance with CDC guidelines/directives regarding social distancing, hygiene, etc. However, replacement of water meters within homes will temporarily be discontinued.

Police:

• There will be no ticketing for overnight parking until April

Court:

• Municipal Court sessions have been cancelled until May. Please monitor the Court Calendar for court date changes.

Building Services:

• Permit applications may be downloaded here. Completed applications and associated fees should be returned by mail.

Public Meetings:

• Village Staff will review the ability to utilize technology and phone access for Village meetings (members, applicants and public attendees) while ensuring compliance with Wisconsin's Open Meetings Laws.