City Hall Reopens June 1st with Measures to Protect Staff and Public
DUNCAN, BC – City Hall will be open starting June 1st for in-person transactions from Monday to Friday.
The City is following the advice of public health officials by putting in place extra cleaning and other physical distancing measures to protect staff and the public. To protect the safety of our staff and the public, if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or have been exposed to the virus, please do not attend City Hall.
Payments for property taxes, utility (water) bills and bylaw tickets will be accepted in-person using cheque, debit, or cash starting June 1st. The City does not accept credit cards for property taxes or utility bills. Customers who can make payments through their online banking through the website (www.duncan.ca) are encouraged to do so. The drop box at City Hall will also be monitored for payments or correspondence.
Other City business can still be done by phone (250-746-6126) or email (general inquiries to duncan@duncan.ca). Some City staff members continue to work from home where possible. Service levels in all departments are returning to normal capacity, with safety measures in place. Please note, in-person meetings are not being scheduled at this time.
Bylaw enforcement staff continue to conduct additional daytime and nighttime patrols throughout the City. Staff will prioritize bylaw enforcement complaints according to their risk to public health and safety. Enquiries and complaints can be directed to 250-746-6126, bylawenforcement@duncan.ca; or www.duncan.ca/issue-reporting/.
Development services staff are now accepting new development permit and building permit applications. The building inspector is conducting site inspections with only the site supervisor or designate present. Enquiries may be directed to developmentservices@duncan.ca.
Parking fees for the paid spaces (Canada Avenue lot and Duncan Street) have been waived for April, May, and June to support businesses that remain open or are now returning to normal operations.
Parks and trails remain open to the public, and the parking lot gates at Centennial and McAdam Park have now been reopened. Public washrooms have remained open throughout the COVID-19 response, with additional sanitization measures put in place. The Canada Avenue public washrooms are open 24/hrs. per day until the end of June. Playground and outdoor exercise equipment remain closed as they are not regularly sanitized. The public is encouraged to follow social distancing precautions and to exercise caution when using park facilities.
Public Works remains closed to the public; however, staff are nearing completion of the Duncan Street watermain replacement project and the annual watermain flushing, as well as maintaining essential road, water, sewer, and garbage and recycling collection services, as well as parks maintenance.
Water billing late penalties have been waived for those customers with payments due on March 31, April 30, and May 31, 2020. If customers are unable to make arrangements to pay their water bills at this time, they will not be penalized.
We apologize for the inconvenience, and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we make every effort to adjust our operations to these exceptional circumstances.
Questions about social distancing, and provincial and federal support, resources and assistance can be directed to the BC COVID-19 information hotline at 1-888-COVID19 or 1-888-268-4319.
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For more information, please contact:
Michelle Staples,
Mayor
(250) 466-9412
mayor@duncan.ca
Peter de Verteuil, CAO
250-746-6126
peter@duncan.ca
