In light of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s announced “Stay home; stay safe” executive order, the city of Sterling Heights will extend the closure of municipal buildings through at least April 13.
The affected buildings include City Hall, Sterling Heights Public Library, Community Center, Senior Center, Nature Center, Department of Public Works and the two Recycling Centers. Although the major and neighborhood parks remain open, amenities such as park pavilions, playscapes, basketball courts, the skate park and soccer fields are closed. Park restrooms are also closed.
Curbside trash and recycling service will continue on normally scheduled pick-up days. Sterling Heights Police Department Front Desk will still be open for resident reports. Residents should still dial 9-1-1 for all emergencies, and first responders including police and fire will still be on duty around the clock.
All 41-A District Court dockets that are scheduled at City Hall are cancelled. All non-essential building inspections have also been cancelled.
Residents with questions are encouraged to email cityhall@sterling-heights.net. The City has published several ways residents can digitally transact business with the City at www.sterling-heights.net. These options include everything from paying taxes and bills online to pulling permits and licensing online and even checking out books and movies from the library or getting help with homework over the internet.
In addition, the City has established a hotline for seniors in need of assistance or help completing their census during this time. Those who require assistance can call 586-446-2757 and a city representative will pair them with a volunteer who can help. The city continues to partner with other agencies at the federal, state and county level to ensure we continue to be prepared.
“We know these are difficult and uncertain times, but we urge our residents to remain patient. The safety of our community is at stake, and limited contact with others is the only effective defense against the spread of COVID-19,” said Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor. “The governor’s executive order to stay home and stay safe is in the best interests of the thousands of families that call Sterling Heights home. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation, and we encourage everyone to visit the City’s coronavirus web page at www.sterling-heights.net/communityinfo for best practices to stem community spread of COVID-19, answers to residents’ most frequently asked questions (including how to transact business with the City during this temporary closure) and a list of resources for our business community with important information including workplace COVID-19 protocols and economic injury disaster loan programs to help small businesses during this crisis.”
City management will continue to closely monitor the situation and update residents on when normal City operations will resume.