North Battleford City Hall will be able to open to the public as soon as workers are able to install COVID-19 protection equipment. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

In the chambers

City to install COVID-19 protections before re-opening; new online payment policy

Jun 10, 2020 | 4:18 PM

The City of North Battleford continues to make safety its priority during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is working on setting up plexiglass screens in public areas before re-opening City Hall.

“We need protective equipment in City Hall including plexiglass which is on order,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “Once we get it and have it installed at all of our customer service areas, then we can consider opening.”

The administration said during this week’s council meeting it could take a few weeks for the plexiglass material to arrive before it can be installed.

“There is a lot of information people can get online or by the phone,” Bater said. “City Hall is still operating, you just cannot actually walk in the door right now.”

Online payments

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Council approved a new policy for online payments at the meeting.

While the City Hall building is currently closed to the public due to the province’s COVID-19 restrictions, people can make online payments or submit payments through the building’s mail slot.

Finance director Steve Brown said the proposed policy reflects COVID-19 precautions by reducing the number of members of the public who would need to make payments in person. He mentioned some staff were concerned about traffic levels in city hall. Brown said the city is already seeing more people paying online during the pandemic, as well.

“I thought it would be prudent to put it into more of a policy,” he said of the proposal.

The policy will permit people to pay property taxes, utility payments, and enforcement tickets either online or in-person at City Hall, while all other invoices including utility account deposits, pet licenses, and criminal reference checks would need to be paid online only.

Councillor Kelli Hawtin expressed concerns about the proposal related to a few items, saying: “I know there are still a lot of people who don’t live in a digital-money world. They use cash to pay for things.”

While many people make payments digitally, she said, some may still want to be able to pay for various items in person with cash at City Hall.

Coun. Kent Lindgren said the COVID-19 pandemic situation is not one that is permanent, so the policy should be able to change in the future to reflect that.

Council ultimately approved the proposal in a 6:1 vote, with the condition of being reviewed again by council in six months.

Online meetings

Online council meetings were also discussed. Council moved to online meetings due to COVID-19 restrictions for gathering.

Council meetings will soon be able to accommodate a few people from the public inside council chambers for a limited amount to meet COVID-19 precautions. While meetings will continue online for the time being, up to 15 individuals in total could potentially be permitted to participate in person. Enough space for proper social distancing protocols will be needed for possible in-person meetings.

The city also needs to ensure there is sufficient internet capacity available. The issue will be discussed further at the city’s online planning committee meeting on June 15.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow