2020 Administration Department Annual Report

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2020 Annual Report • Administration • St. Anthony Village, Minnesota 10 III. COVID In February of 2020, the City of St. Anthony began to address concerns regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19). Action steps were taken in accordance with local and state guidance to prepare and help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. On March 19, Mayor Stille announced a proclamation declaring a local emergency. The following information provides details on how the City planned and made necessary adjustments throughout the first 10 months of the global pandemic. COMMUNICATIONS The City provided a COVID-19 Information & Resources webpage for community members. This included any emergency messaging from the Mayor and City Council (both video and written communications), updates from Gov. Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and public health and financial resources, such as free COVID-19 saliva testing sites info and small business relief support. PUBLIC MEETINGS HELD VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM With the help of CTV technical staff, the city was able to offer a virtual option for the public to view and participate in public meetings. While the Council Chambers did not ever fully close to the public, this option allowed for Council, Commissioners, staff and the public to engage in meetings remotely and keep in-person participants to a minimum. CTV seamlessly integrated the Zoom platform with the usual channel 16 broadcasts to keep city business moving forward and the residents informed. STAFF WORKING REMOTELY Long before 2020, Administration staff took steps to give staff the ability to work from home when needed. Each staff member has a mobile device that can securely connect to the City network so virtually any task can be accomplished off-site. When the pandemic escalated, Administration staff rotated who was in the office and overlapped only when needed to ensure operational continuity should anyone become ill. Later in 2020 the Administration and Finance