City of Schenectady Continues Essential Services, City Hall to Remain Closed to the Public

Essential City Services include Police, Fire, EMS, Waste, Water, Sewer
Many City Services Available Remotely via Website, Email, and Phone
State and Local Officials Strongly Advise Residents Continue Social Distancing

SCHENECTADY – The City of Schenectady announced that City Hall will remain closed to the public and essential services will continue through at least Friday, March 27, 2020. The Schenectady Police and Fire Departments, waste collection, and water and sewer services will continue to operate.

Many City services are available online, by phone, or by email. Any City department can be reached by email through the Online Department Contact Form on the City website: www.cityofschenectady.com/contact. Non-emergency issues may also be reported through the Citizen Request Tracker feature on the City website: www.cityofschenectady.com/RequestTracker.aspx

Schenectady residents should visit www.schenectadycounty.com/publichealth for updates from our local health department. The Schenectady County Public Health Services (SCPHS) Communicable Disease Department can be reached at (518) 386-2824, option 4 (8:30am-4:30pm Monday to Friday) and after-hours at (518) 437-7878.

If you are concerned that you may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, or feel that you have symptoms of COVID-19 such as coughing, fever, or trouble breathing, please call your healthcare provider before going to a clinic, hospital, or other healthcare facility.

On Friday, March 20, 2020, Mayor Gary McCarthy issued Local Emergency Order #2 in order to continue essential services. A list City services and contact information by department can be found below:

Schenectady Police Department
-SPD will continue to respond to all emergencies and calls.
-Members of the public are asked to refrain from going to the Police Station for the purposes filing a report. Instead, please contact non-emergency at 518-630-0911.
-Officers responding in-person may ask you to step outside to speak with the officer, if it is safe to do so.
-Please let our dispatchers know if you’re experiencing any flu like symptoms at the time of your call. These include fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
-SPD can be reached at (518) 382-5200. You can also follow SPD on Facebook, Twitter.

Schenectady Fire Department and EMS
-SFD and EMS will continue to respond to all emergencies and calls.
-All SFD facilities will be closed to the public until further notice.
-SFD can be reached at (518) 382-5141. You can also follow SFD on Facebook, Twitter.

Department of General Services
-All curbside waste collection and recycling will continue as scheduled.
-General Services can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5144.

Buildings Department
-Permit applications will be accepted via email at clunn@schenectadyny.gov
-Construction inspections, electrical inspections, plumbing inspections, life safety inspections, public assembly inspections, vacant building inspections, and emergency inspections will continue to occur.
-The Buildings Department can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5050.

Water Department
-The Water Department will continue to operate the wastewater treatment plant and respond to emergency situations.
-The Water Department can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5023.

Law Department
-FOIL requests and claims will continue to be processed by the Law Department.
-The Law Department can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5073.

Bureau of Receipts (Tax Payments)
-The Bureau of Receipts will continue to process tax payments and permit fees.
-Property owners and members of the public are encouraged to make payments online or by mail.
-Online payments can be made through the Bureau of Receipts website: www.cityofschenectady.com/185/Bureau-of-Receipts-Tax-Payments. They can be reached by phone at (518) 382-5016.

Bureau of Assessment
-The Assessment Bureau will provide limited services, including the completion of the tentative assessment roll.
-The City Assessor can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5076.

Department of Development and Planning
-Applications for the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals will continue to be processed.
-Development and Planning can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5149.

Signal Department and Utilities
-Streetlight outages, temporary no parking requests, and traffic sign inquiries can be sent to nonemergencyrequests@schenectadyny.gov or reached by phone at (518) 382-5065.
-For malfunctioning traffic signals, please call dispatch at (518) 630-0911.

City Clerk
-For birth, death, and marriage certificates, the City Clerk’s Office can be reached online and by phone at (518) 382-5035.

The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) has a coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065. Information is also available on the NYS DOH website at www.health.ny.gov/coronavirus as well as the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/COVID19.

Members of the public are strongly advised to practice social distancing to help stop the spread of COVID-19. These precautions include:

-Stay at home as much as possible.
-Keep six feet distance from others in public.
-Avoid large gatherings.
-Shop for groceries at off-hours or consider having them delivered.
-Don’t visit those most at risk.

City-sponsored public meetings may resume, but must be held via teleconference. Additional information will be included as part of each meeting’s public notice.

As additional updates become available, residents are encouraged to follow the City’s social media accounts as well as check the City’s website and local news reports.

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