These are unprecedented times and these past couple of weeks have been life altering for all of us, not only here in Decatur but globally. In order to better manage the Coronavirus crisis at limit its spread, the city of Decatur announces Decatur Civic Center will be closed to the general public beginning Thursday morning, March 19, 2020. Persons needing to conduct business with the city are encouraged to do so electronically or by phone. This decision was made in the community’s best interest as the city continues to consult with public health officials and county and state leaders to assess the rapidly evolving impact of the virus.
Decatur city employees will still be working, unless allowed to work from home by their supervisors—this measure simply curtails public interactions and slows the spread of the virus, in accordance with recommendations of the White House and Governor’s Office. Citizens can still expect to reach city staff by phone or email during regular business hours to conduct city business, and ensure minimal interruption of city services.
As a result of this decision, the city of Decatur will suspend all water service disconnections for non-payment through April 15th, 2020. To help limit social interaction during this crisis, the city encourages citizens to pay their City of Decatur Municipal Utilities bills by:
- Paying by phone – 800-700-9309opens phone dialer
- Paying online – Pay Your Bill
- Using the outside dropbox (located on the east side of the Civic Center)
- Authorized payment locations (Krogers, First Currency Exchange # 2, etc.)
Questions regarding city of Decatur Municipal Utilities can be directed to Utility Customer Service at: 217-424-2841opens phone dialer. All other questions and inquires can likely be addressed by accessing the city’s website or if necessary calling 217-424-2700opens phone dialer.
City of Decatur officials will continue to monitor this evolving crisis and take those measures they consider appropriate to protect public health, while still facilitating the provision of basic or essential municipal services. At this time, it there is not any anticipated reduction of any services across the countless departments within the city, including public transit, public safety response, or city run utilities. Any future closures or changes will be communicated in a timely manner.
The city of Decatur understands that closures of many businesses, governments, social service providers and places of assembly fundamentally alters daily life and normal business. To this end, the city has prepared a section of its website that provides guidance about how to access various State services that might mitigate the situation (links to unemployment compensation applications, ways to delay sales tax payments, assistance to small businesses, etc.), as well as a list of closings and postponements. During this time, the City will utilize our website and Facebook channels to provide as much information to Decatur residents and businesses as possible during this critical time.
