Letter from the City Manager

July 2, 2020

Per the Kansas Governor’s Order as well as the Atchison County Health Department’s Executive Order, all residents and employees within Atchison shall be required to wear a face mask when: inside, or in line to enter, a public building; obtaining services from any health care setting; waiting for or riding on public transportation; while outdoors in public spaces and unable to maintain 6 ft distance between other individuals.

For City of Atchison employees, face masks and coverings will be required of all individuals working in public buildings, while passing through public halls, entryways, and meeting spaces. It is advised that if in doubt, err on the side of caution by wearing a face covering.

For the full document outlining these requirements, please see here.

June 9, 2020

With Atchison County moving to Phase Three of the COVID-19 reopening plan, some city key facilities are open once again.

City Hall and the city shop reopened to resident and visitor traffic on Wednesday, after initially closing on March 18, along with many other public facilities to minimize the spread of the virus.

City playgrounds were opened on May 29, with splash pads following on June 5. City Hall and the shop were opened by appointment only on May 22.

With the re-opening of City Hall, staff asks that visitors please wear masks and maintain social distancing standards within the building. A temperature screen using a touchless thermometer will be required upon entry, along with a log of name, phone number and address. The city will also have hand sanitizer available for use while in City Hall.

May 28, 2020

With the county moving into Phase 2 of the COVID-19 reopening plan as of today, some city facilities will be coming back on line:

• City Hall and the city shop will be open to the public by appointment only beginning Tuesday, May 26. Same-day appointments will not be available and visitors will have to undergo a temperature screening before entering. Also, wearing of masks is suggested.
• City solid waste special pick ups will begin accepting yard waste appointments to begin the week of June 1. Bulk items will still not be accepted at this time.

City facilities will likely remain by appointment only until Phase 3 of the current reopening plan.

May 1, 2020

Following the Governor of Kansas’ announcement plan to reopen the State of Kansas, the County of Atchison has released its own reopening plan.

Please view this tentative schedule, dependent on maintaining a healthy state of our community through decreased cases, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s7_Gn0vhbiDmdsP7H90DJ2mjtMs8J81h/view?usp=sharing.

For detailed questions about this multi-phase plan to reopen, please contact Atchison County Health Department and Emergency Service office by calling 913-804-6131.

March 24, 2020

The County of Atchison has issued a community-wide Shelter at Home Order effective at midnight, tonight (March 24).

Following this interim guidance, as well as in accordance with KDHE, CDC and Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR 6201), the City of Atchison will provide eligible employees with emergency paid sick leave and expanded FMLA under certain conditions.

During this time, City staff are advised to stagger positions and work from home if possible.

City services, however, will still continue as usual and updates about specific service changes will be forthcoming.

March 18, 2020

To ensure that the City of Atchison is doing all that it can to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus), City Hall and all other City facilities are being closed to the public, effective immediately. The City will be adding a secure drop box in the vestibule located at the main entrance of City Hall by the end of the week for utility and municipal court payments. The City had already suspended water utility shut offs until at least April 15.

Municipal Court and meetings for any boards and advisory groups were also cancelled for at least 30 days to promote social distancing and help curb the potential spread of COVID-19. That suspension impacts Economic Development Advisory Group (EDAG), Parks and Forestry Board, Airport Advisory Board and Planning Commission.

The safety of residents and City staff is the top priority, and with that in mind, please regularly check www.cityofatchison.com/COVID-19 and the City’s Facebook page at facebook.com/CityofAtchison/ for the latest information as this situation continues to evolve. If you have any questions or concerns, please call (913) 367-5500.

Just a reminder that all events at Atchison Event Center have also been canceled until further notice and that the City is under executive order from Gov. Laura Kelly banning gatherings of 50 or more until further notice. The City is also not issuing any new special event permits and revoking any existing permits as long as the ban is in place.

Emergency services will continue as normal for the foreseeable future. The situation will be re- evaluated before April 15, to decide if the suspensions and service changes will be lifted or continued further. School buildings statewide were recently closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, which should serve as a guide for potentially how long some of these restrictions and suspensions could be in place.

For those needing to pay utility bills, please know we have several options to still process your payment remotely.

1. Pay by phone. You can call 866-279-2008 or toll-free 913-367-5500 and pay using a debit or credit card.
2. Pay online. Just visit cityofatchison.com and find the ‘Pay Utility Bill’ button. You’ll be transported to our payment portal and can enter a debit or credit card number.
3. Drop off. We have a drop box located in the alley behind the post office where you can send in checks or money orders securely.
4. Mail it. Just make your check or money order out to:

March 16, 2020

The City of Atchison has been preparing for the Novel Corona Virus and creating contingency plans for the safety of our community.

We are working to make sure our community is prepared for COVID-19 by listening to guidance from state and federal health officials, sharing prevention information, testing our response plans, and reviewing lessons learned from previous outbreaks, such as H1N1 and measles.
Although we don’t have any confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city or county, we encourage families, faith communities, businesses and schools to start the discussion about how they would prepare for widespread illness and disruption to daily life.

As of Monday, March 16, the CDC has urged gatherings of 50 or more to be postponed or cancelled in an effort to contain the virus. For the City, this could potentially mean increasing social distancing standards for public meetings, bill paying, and special events.

We continue to monitor the situation as it rapidly evolves. We encourage residents to visit www.cdc.gov/ncov19 for the latest information and guidance, as well as follow local health department social media.