Battle Creek City Offices Closing Due To COVID-19

The City of Battle Creek is initiating new closings in response to COVID-19.
Here is a portion of the text from the city’s latest communication:

All City of Battle Creek facilities will close to the public at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, for regular business. Facility closures will be in place through Friday, April 3. We will still hold the City Commission workshop and regular meeting Tuesday evening, March 17 at City Hall, with agendas limited to the business necessary to move city processes forward. Please rest assured that the City of Battle Creek continues to provide essential services – our Fire Department and Police Department are responding to emergencies, and our Water and Waste Water teams are providing drinking water and wastewater treatment services. The city has suspended water shutoffs; we have not placed a time frame on this, not knowing how the COVID situation will continue developing. We have turned the water on for neighbors who were experiencing a shutoff. We want to ensure every neighbor can follow the handwashing recommendations. While facilities are closed, we encourage everyone to use the online payment option, or the dropbox in the parking lot of City Hall – you can use these options to pay utility bills, income taxes, and other city invoices. Please use an appropriately marked envelope and your bill stub or invoice; you may include cash payment. To pay your utility bill by phone, please call 269-966-3366. If you pay via the dropbox and want a receipt, please write on your bill stub or invoice that you would like a mailed or emailed receipt, and include your email address for the email option. Please share this information broadly – we are sharing with regional media, on our website, on social media, and are working on translations as quickly as possible. We continue to work hard to help our community through this unique health situation. Thank you to the community agencies, businesses, and neighbors who have offered help to others as we navigate this together. Please continue to wash your hands often, and practice social distancing by staying home as much as possible!

Battle Creek Transit will operate on regular service hours -- fixed-route buses, Tele-Transit, and BCGo -- during the city's upcoming facility closures; the Transit main lobby will be closed to the public. Passengers who need to submit reduced-fare or ADA applications can do so through fax at 269-966-3652, or email at klgrestini@battlecreekmi.gov. Passengers who need to purchase bus passes should call 269-966-3474 for more information. Transit will continue daily cleanings, as well as periodic deep cleanings of all vehicles, and has increased sanitizing efforts with daily and weekly procedures. Transit staff will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation, and may adjust service levels if necessary. Please take precautions recommended by the CDC and healthcare professionals, including covering your cough and sneeze, and staying home when you are sick. For up-to-date information, please subscribe to Transit email/text alerts at battlecreekmi.gov/notifyme.

We continue to appreciate everyone’s attention, concern, and sharing of COVID-19 information from the city, the Calhoun County Public Health Department, State of Michigan, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Please keep getting your information from these reputable sources, and our local media. Please see our city COVID-19 website for this latest message, previous updates, translated and interpreted information in American Sign Language, Burmese, and Spanish, and other community information – battlecreekmi.gov/coronavirus.