By Pete McIntyre

Additional safety measures for bill payments and other in-person services at city hall

Apr 20, 2020 | 11:08 AM

The City of Vernon has implemented extra physical distancing measures at city hall in anticipation of more people coming in the next while to pay their utility bills.

The new measures will limit the number of people in the reception and cashier area to protect visitors and employees.

“Until further notice, if you need to visit city hall, please stand outside the front entrance doors and wait for the yellow light to flash. This will indicate you can proceed inside. Prior to entering reception, please use the portable handwashing station on site,” a city news release said.

A row of pylons along the north wall of the entrance indicate a two-metre distance between individuals waiting to enter. In the case of rain or extreme heat, tents will be set up to protect visitors from inclement weather.

Staff have been asked to use a separate staff entrance to access the building.

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“We appreciate your assistance with this matter to help keep yourself, our staff and our community safe during the current public health emergency,” Christy Poirier, manager of communications and grants, said.

First quarter utility bills have been distributed to all City of Vernon utility customers.

While city hall remains open to the public to make their payments, the city is encouraging everyone to pay through their financial institution if possible, to reduce in-person transactions and promote physical distancing.

“If customers need to make payments in-person, we also request that cheque or Interac be used instead of cash and coin, if possible, to reduce touch points with high contact objects and help contain the spread of COVID-19,” Poirier said.

If customers have questions about their utility bill, they are encouraged to call one the utility clerks at 250-545-1361 or email covutil@vernon.ca.

Council waives Q1 utility bill interest

As a reminder, city council has waived interest charges for the first quarterly utility billing period (which runs January to March 2020), to ease the financial burden on citizens and businesses.

Normally, the due date for the first quarter bill would be mid-May, after which any unpaid balance would be subject to interest charges. However, the waiving of interest charges for this period will provide more time for customers to pay their bill if they need it.

Any unpaid balance from the Q4 utility bill in 2019 is still subject to interest.

If you are sick, have been around someone who is sick, or have returned to Canada within the last 14 days, please do not enter a city facility.

Online City services

Council and administration are encouraging residents to use online services, telephone calls, or email to contact City staff whenever possible. Online City services include:

MyCity – view your City accounts and obtain past bills (property taxes, utilities, business licenses) online 24/7
eBilling – receive your quarterly utility bill electronically
Paying for business license
Paying for municipal tickets
Ticket appeal and dispute
Business license search
Address changes