On Monday March 30, Governor Hogan issued an executive order that included a Stay at Home directive effective at 8:00 p.m. The order states that residents must stay at home unless leaving for an essential job or reason, such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention, or for other necessary purposes (more information can be found here). In response to and in compliance with this executive order, the City will be taking further action to protect the health and safety of its staff and residents.

Effective immediately, all non-essential City staff are directed to distance themselves at home and not report to work at City facilities. Telework and paid administrative leave will continue until further notice.

City parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities are closed to the public effective March 30, 2020. As a reminder, all City buildings and facilities remain closed to the public. We apologize for any inconvenience, but the safety of our staff and residents is our foremost concern.

The following events, activities and services are suspended until further notice: • Special and Bulk trash and brush collections (including electronic and white goods appliances); • All events (including the Department of Public Works’ April Cleanup Saturdays), Seniors Program activities, and community meetings; • Compost and wood mulch sales (including delivery and pickup); • Parking enforcement; • Interior and exterior Code inspections; • Animal control service or patrols (please contact County Animal Control for any issues); • Issuance of parking permits and animal licenses; • All Department of Youth, Family & Services group meetings (including the Lakeland STARs tutoring program, Hispanic Parent Support Group, therapist-led school groups); • Monthly City Board and Committee Meetings; and • Notary services. The following services and activities will continue: • Police patrols and emergency response; • Regular trash, recycling and yard waste collections; and • Seniors Transportation Services for essential trips (medical appointments or medications which are vital or to purchase items that are essential for subsistence within the next 7-14 days only); The following services and activities will be modified until further notice: • Mayor and Council meetings are now held virtually. Visit the City’s website at www.collegeparkmd.gov/covid19 for the updated link and call-in number to watch or provide public comment during the meeting. The following services can be conducted online, via email and/or by phone: • Meetings/consultations with City staff; • Department of Youth, Family & Senior Services case management and client meetings; and • Application and processing for City building permits, variance and departures, homeownership grants, Business Assistance grants, and chain-link fence grants. The following services can be conducted anytime online, or on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am to 4pm by phone (240-487-3509), with a credit card: • Parking ticket payments; • Personal property tax payments; • Refuse collection payments; • Payment for speed camera citations; • CDMA and liquor license payments; • Occupancy permit payments (phone only); • Building permit payments (phone only); and • Municipal infractions (phone only). Only credit card transactions and checks arriving by mail can be processed at this time. No cash transactions can be processed until further notice. For any finance related questions including payment questions, please email finance@collegeparkmd.gov or call 240-487-3509.

City staff in all departments will continue to process and respond to email and phone calls remotely. For contact information for all departments, please visit the City’s website. Many of the City’s services can still be conducted online or via the phone.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland increases daily, as does the death toll. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended steps to prevent and slow community spread of the virus. The City is following this guidance and continues to help distribute this information through our various media.

Through this difficult time, we will work together and get through it. We appreciate the understanding and support of our Mayor and Council, staff and residents.

For all COVID-19 related City information, please visit the City’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage at www.collegeparkmd.gov/covid19. The website has information related to which essential local businesses remain open to the public, as well as other resources and information for residents and businesses.

Please sign up for the City’s emails (www.collegeparkmd.gov/cpconnect) and follow the City’s Facebook (www.fb.com/collegeparkmd) and Twitter (@collegepark_md) for the latest and most up-to-date City news.