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Normally I would use this space in mid-March to quip about BYU basketball or praise USU's Sam Merrill for being the lone shining moment this month, but this is a different type of Friday Facts because this was a different type of week.
Before I start into the recap, I want to thank you city leaders for your example of leadership. All week, I’ve had the opportunity to share how cities are innovating to provide the services that residents rely on while adapting on the fly to rapidly shifting public health needs. I’ve seen mayors urging their residents to stay calm and take care of each other in times of plagues and quakes, departments that shifted overnight to remote work, and creative approaches to deliver services while complying with social distancing guidelines. For example, some cities are approving building inspections with a video and photo documentation system. Some libraries are providing online storytime for children. Some cities are taking care of seniors with curbside or home delivered meals and regular phone calls. Many cities are promoting their local businesses to help them stay open during this difficult time. Every city is working to take care of residents and it is inspirational to behold!
This week’s email will recap the highlights from our first week with the social distancing recommendations--an executive order per our Board’s request, two ULCT surveys, a major Congressional relief package, Midyear Conference cancellation, and coordination between ULCT and state and federal leaders--and preview what to expect next week and beyond. This past week, we sent multiple emails on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with COVID-19 updates. We are trying to be judicious with our correspondence while also ensuring that you receive critical information promptly. We are posting all relevant information on our website HERE and you can contact us anytime with questions HERE.
1) Cities and Towns are Open for Business
Today, Governor Herbert announced in his press conference that cities (and all governments) are open for business. Over the last three days, we gathered information from the Utah City Management Association (UCMA) about how cities were innovating to provide services. More than 40 UCMA members joined ULCT staff for a two hour conference call and then more than 60 cities responded to our follow up survey. Thank you! We shared that information with the Governor, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, industry leaders (i.e. Associated General Contractors, Homebuilders Association, etc.), and the news media. After the Governor finished his press conference, we sent this news release to more than 20 statewide and regional media outlets to illustrate how cities work to meet the needs of residents. Please share the release and your specific story with your residents.
To that end, we are aggregating the data of how cities are innovating from the ULCT/UCMA survey and will share it soon so that you have access to those best practices and ideas.
2) Coordination with State Government Leaders and Executive Order 2020-5
ULCT staff and members of our Board of Directors have engaged directly with the Governor, Lt. Governor, and other key leaders all week. First, Lt. Governor Spencer Cox joined a call with the ULCT Board on Tuesday to answer questions. During that call, Team ULCT urged the Governor to provide flexibility within the Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA) during this emergency to allow for electronic meetings without people at an anchor location. Later that afternoon, the Lt. Governor and Governor hosted a call with more than 300 local government officials and your correspondent shared questions that ULCT members had submitted, both during the call and afterward. On OPMA, the Lt. Governor and Governor delivered. On Wednesday evening, Governor Herbert signed Executive Order 2020-5. You can see the ULCT explanation HERE. Per the ULCT-UCMA survey, many cities are planning to utilize the new flexibility for their public meetings so we appreciate the Governor’s responsiveness and quick action.
Additionally, ULCT is an active participant in two state efforts: Child Care for Essential Employees and First Responders Work Group and the Economic Recovery Task Force. We have met several times this week and more than 80 cities responded to our survey about staffing and child care needs. The Economic Recovery Task Force has split into several subgroups. ULCT will be involved in subgroups around critical infrastructure/essential employees and federal/state/local resources. To that end, ULCT staff is participating in a daily conference call that the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce is facilitating with other trade organizations to coordinate efforts and answer questions.
3) Coordination with Federal Leaders
Shortly after the United States Senate passed HB 6201 Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Sen. Mitt Romney hosted a phone call with approximately 200 local government leaders. He explained what HB 6201 accomplished (see the small business information HERE and the mid-sized business information HERE) and promised that there was more recovery and stimulus to come. He took questions from city and county leaders. Meanwhile, Team ULCT has been in touch with the rest of the delegation and have linked those resources on our website as well.
4) ULCT COVID-19 Resources
As we have gathered information, updates, and best practices about COVID-19 from the federal, state, and local governments plus our sponsors and others, we are providing them to you on our website HERE.
If you have a video, a social media graphic, a best practice, or an update to share with your fellow cities, please send it to Karson at keilers@ulct.org.
Finally, we were disappointed to cancel the 2020 Midyear Conference because of COVID-19 but we are grateful that the Dixie Center and the area hotels in St. George waived cancellation fees and credited us for 2021. We have waived all of our administrative fees for registration. If you paid online with a credit card you should have received your refund. If you paid with a check we will be mailing out refund checks next week. For refund information please email Abby at abolic@ulct.org Stay tuned for future correspondence about online trainings.
So… what’s to come in week two of the social distancing recommendations?
a) Local Government Coordination Call with Lt. Governor Spencer Cox
As promised, we will host another call with the Lt. Governor on Tuesday, March 24 from 3-4 pm. While there will be less than ten of us in the room, your correspondent will be there to direct questions to the Lt. Governor and his team. Please submit questions HERE by Monday at 3:00 pm. We still have some questions in the queue from this week which we are working to address. The maximum number of call-in attendees is 500.
ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS
b) Congressional Coordination Call with Sen. Mitt Romney
Additionally, we will host another call with Sen. Mitt Romney on Wednesday, March 25 from 10-10:30. The Senator will answer questions from Washington so please submit questions HERE by Tuesday at 10:00 am. The maximum number of call-in attendees is 500. For more coronavirus resources from Senator Romney click HERE.
ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS
c) Governor Herbert’s Comments Today
In today’s press conference, Governor Gary Herbert strongly stated that the State of Utah is not contemplating any shelter-in-place restrictions like we’ve seen in California, Washington, and elsewhere. He also explained the disconnect between Thursday’s orders from the health departments in Salt Lake and Utah Counties and said he trusted Utahns to use good judgment during this period of social distancing without the threat of criminal enforcement.
He emphasized that the State Coronavirus Task Force is evaluating everything daily and they will have additional recommendations in the days to come. In the meantime, the Economic Recovery Task Force--your correspondent represents local government thereon--is working on potential next steps and eventualities. Your correspondent and the ULCT Board of Directors are part of a regular call with the Governor, the full State Coronavirus Task Force and other key stakeholders about the status of testing, the spread of the virus, the economic impact, and the overall coordination and communication of the public health recommendations. When we know more information about the next steps, you’ll know more!
In closing, thanks for your leadership during this challenging time. Please let us know how we can help you serve your communities. Thanks to Governor Herbert, Lt. Governor Cox, Sen. Romney, and all of our partners who are working tirelessly to protect the health and welfare of our collective constituents.
Spotlight
Due to our focused efforts on slowing the spread of coronavirus, we are delaying our interviews with the gubernatorial candidates. We spoke with six of the first candidates to file on the GOP ticket and will be bringing you those full interviews as soon as we can turn our attention away from the daily efforts we are making to supplement our resources for local governments dealing with COVID-19.
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ULCT Upcoming Events
To slow the potential community spread of the coronavirus, ULCT has cancelled the Midyear Conference in St. George. We encourage you to watch for our live training opportunities to resume as soon as the threat subsides. In the meantime, mark your calendars for the biggest ULCT Annual Convention yet! For the first year, the League will host Utah's city leaders at the Salt Palace Convention Center September 23-25. Stay tuned for more!
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The Newstand
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