Watch Live: Lake Oswego City Council Covid-19 Meeting

The City of Lake Oswego City Manager, Martha Bennett, has declared a local state of emergency as a result of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic, and a state of emergency has been declared by Governor Kate Brown and Clackamas County.

The Lake Oswego City Council will meet to act on the declaration of state of emergency relating to COVID-19 pandemic at a special meeting at noon on March 23, 2020. If ratified by the Council, this state of emergency will continue until 12:00 noon on April 5, 2020, unless the City Council votes to extend it.

The declaration allows more flexibility and authorization for the City Manager to take actions to help protect the health and safety of the community.

“These are extraordinary times in Lake Oswego,” said Mayor Kent Studebaker.  “Our hearts go out to the members of our community whose lives and businesses are disrupted.  At the same time, we are focused on doing everything we can to slow the spread of this virus. Toward that end, we are in communication with our county and state legislators to get all the information we can before crafting updated policies on Monday, March 23.”

“The declaration allows the City to adjust our operations as needed to prioritize core services,” said City Manager Martha Bennett.  “We must continue to deliver water, provide fire and police services, and keep our infrastructure operating.  We also need the flexibility to encourage and enable social distancing and to provide some relief to residents, businesses, and city staff.”

While this emergency is in place, the City will not send shut-off notices or shut off water for non-payment of unpaid water bills. The City may also relax or adjust enforcement of City codes, including but not limited to parking restrictions.

In addition, the City announced today that City Hall, the Maintenance Center, the Water Treatment Plant and all Fire Stations are closed to walk-in traffic effective immediately. This is addition to earlier closures of the Adult Community Center, Lake Oswego Public Library, Indoor Tennis Center and Parks and Recreation’s Christ Church Parish location. Facilities are expected to be closed until at least April 28, 2020.

While you may not be able to walk into City buildings, City staff are still working to provide important services to the people of Lake Oswego, this includes providing police and fire protection, quality drinking water, and well-maintained infrastructure. Many services you count on are available online and via telephone or virtual conferencing. Please visit our website, www.LakeOswego.city for contact information and service details.

To assist the public, the City will be expanding our Citizen Support Center to receive COVID-19 related questions. Beginning March 23, the Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, to answer all City service-related COVID-19 questions. Please call 503-635-0257 or email [email protected] with your inquiries.

At this time, Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation’s parks, trails, playgrounds, sports fields, golf course and natural areas will remain open to the public. Closure of facilities will be considered if guidance is not followed. For Park Guidance, and other City closure information, please visit www.LakeOswego.city/Coronavirus.

The City continues to urge community members to follow all social distancing and hygiene recommendations shared by our public health agencies. Taking these measures slows the transmission of COVID-19 so the public health system can maintain the capacity to help those who need it most.

For the latest information about city services and closures, in addition to COVID-19 resources, please continue to check the City of Lake Oswego Novel Coronavirus webpage at www.LakeOswego.city/Coronavirus.