In an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Yakima City Hall, the City’s Public Works Administration Building, the City’s wastewater treatment plant office, the City’s Community Relations office (YCTV-Y-PAC) the Yakima Police Department customer service counter, the Yakima Fire Department administrative office, the City’s Legal Department office, and the City’s Office of Neighborhood Development will be closed to public access as of 5:00 pm Friday, March 20th. The public access closures will remain in effect until further notice.
The City continues to provide all municipal services, but strongly encourages community members to utilize online, telephone, and other options to conduct business with the City. The City’s website – www.yakimawa.gov – includes directions for community members to follow to conduct business with the City by other means than in person.
The Yakima Police Department and Yakima Fire Department are continuing to respond to incidents, however, community members are strongly encouraged to report incidents online or by telephone.
Last Thursday, the Harman Senior Center, the Henry Beauchamp Community Center, the Washington Fruit Community Center, the Yakima Valley Visitor Information Center, and Lions Pool, all City-owned, were closed until further notice. Likewise, City recreation programs and events have been cancelled until further notice. Events at the Capitol Theatre and the Yakima Convention Center, both of which are also owned by the City, are cancelled at least for the remainder of March.
Yakima Municipal Court is operating at a reduced level of service, meaning some court processes are currently suspended.
All City board, commission, and committee meetings are cancelled until further notice.
Community members can still provide input and feedback to Council members via e-mail, postal mail, and telephone. Community members can report graffiti, traffic signal outages, potholes, and other issues that need to be brought to the City’s attention through the Yak Back feature on the City’s website – www.yakimawa.gov/yak-back/
City staff is regularly receiving information from the Yakima County Health District regarding the COVID-19 virus and is sharing that information on its various communications platforms. The City’s website includes information about the City’s response to the COVID-19 emergency as well as links to other sources of information about the virus.
“The City is adjusting to the COVID-19 emergency as it evolves,” said City Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler. “Closing additional City facilities to public access is a reasonable next step in the City’s ongoing efforts to continue to provide vital services to the community while helping contain the spread of COVID-19,” said Beehler.
Additional information will be provided regarding the City’s response to the COVID-19 emergency as necessary.