NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 23, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Kazel, Communications Manager
218-725-5049 (office) • 218-591-2219 (cell)
County announces new hours and public access points at County Buildings
Following an emergency meeting of the St. Louis County Board this morning, St. Louis County is announcing it will re-open some of its offices to the public beginning Wednesday, March 25, but with reduced hours and limited public access. While the county is mandated to provide certain services, it is limiting face-to-face contact for the health and safety of the public and employees as advised by the Minnesota Department of Health.
People are strongly encouraged to conduct any business with the county by phone, email or online. Contact information and special instructions for each department or service can be found online at stlouiscountymn.gov
If people feel they must visit a county building, here are updates on access times:
St. Louis County Courthouses in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia: These buildings currently are open for limited court hearings only. Beginning Wednesday, select county offices will be open to the public from 9-10:30 a.m., or by appointment only. For transactions outside of these hours, each office will have a drop box for people to leave any paperwork or payments. Court operations will be limited to necessary hearings only. Courthouse windows will be closed, and all filings should be done electronically. The law libraries in each courthouse are closed until further notice.
Government Services Centers in Duluth, Virginia and Ely, and the Hibbing Annex building:
Drop boxes are available for people to leave paperwork and payments at any time for any of the departments in these buildings.
Public Health and Human Services reception areas will be open to serve public assistance clients on the following days and times:
Duluth - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9-10:30 a.m.
Virginia - Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-10:30 a.m.
Hibbing and Ely - Wednesday, 9-10:30 a.m.
The Auditor's Service Center at the Mall remains closed to the public, but has a secure drop box for people to leave any paperwork and payments. For transactions involving license tabs and DNR license purchases, those items will be mailed to the individual after payment is processed.
All Public Works facilities remain closed to the public.
The AP Cook building in Duluth remains closed to the public.
The Public Safety Building in Duluth remains closed to the public.
Environmental Services facilities, including the landfill, transfer stations and solid waste drop off sites remain open at this time.
At the emergency board meeting, commissioners approved a resolution authorizing County Administration to implement new staffing plans that ensure essential-critical services continue to be done, while minimizing the number of employees who are working within county buildings. Additionally, the Board approved transferring $1 million from the county's Emergency Administration Fund to cover potential costs for COVID-19 responses.
The St. Louis County Board will meet again Tuesday for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting will again be held in the County Board Conference Room at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth. (There have been several moves announced related to this meeting, but ultimately it was moved back to Duluth to fulfill the requirement of a live broadcast.) Citizens are recommended to not attend this or any public meeting at this time. The meeting can be viewed live on Duluth Public Access (PACT), or later on the county's youtube channel.
For more information on St. Louis County services, and contact information for county departments, visit stlouiscountymn.gov.
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