City Suspends, Alters Some Services in Response to Virus Threat

The City of Atchison is suspending Municipal Court and meetings for any boards and advisory groups for 30 days to promote social distancing and help curb the potential spread of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus). This suspension will impact Economic Development Advisory Group (EDAG), Parks and Forestry Board, Airport Advisory Board and Planning Commission.

In addition, the City will not be disconnecting any water utility customers for the next 30 days, to ensure that all citizens have access to clean running water in their homes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that regular hand washing and proper cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces be used in defense of this virus. Any customer that lacks water because of a recent disconnection, please contact us at (913) 367-5500 to discuss the account.

The safety of residents and City staff is the top priority, and with that in mind, City leaders recommend any payments that need to be made be handled online at www.cityofatchison.com or through mail whenever possible. Water customers can also make payments over the phone by calling (913) 367-5500. By the end of the week, the City will also have a secure drop box in the lobby of City Hall to minimize the number of direct handling situations at the customer service windows. All events at Atchison Event Center have also been canceled until further notice. Given the recent public ban on events of 50 or more in Atchison County per the Atchison County Health Officer, 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 the end of this 30-day period (April 15), to decide if the suspensions and service changes will be lifted or continued further.

For the latest information regarding COVID-19, please visit www.cdc.gov, and for the latest City of Atchison please visit the website www.cityofatchison.com and the City’s Facebook page, facebook.com/CityofAtchison/.