3/24/20 – In an effort to comply with the Governor’s “Safe at Home” directive, and in continued efforts to reduce the COVID-19 risk for city employees, the City of Whitewater Municipal Building will be physically locking its doors today at Noon. The building will remain closed to the public at all times except those times specifically posted for absentee voting. This closure will remain in force until further notice. Individuals needing assistance from the police department will be able to request assistance via the intercom located on the wall in the Whitewater Street entryway or by calling 262-473-0555 (Option 4). Following are points of clarification on this change.
How is this different from the City closure announced last week? – Last week, the City of Whitewater closed the building to the public and shut down all service counters except the counter for absentee voting. However, the building lobby remained open. With this new action, the building will be physically locked. Only employees will be able to enter the building.
With the building locked, how can I vote absentee? – The Municipal Building will be unlocked and open for in-person absentee voting at specific times as listed below. However, please see the information below regarding online absentee ballot requests. The building will remain physically locked at all other times.
• The Municipal Building will be open for in-person absentee voting at the following times:
o Tuesday 3/24: 8 am – Noon
o Thursday 3/26: 1 pm – 5 pm
o Tuesday 3/31: 8 am – Noon
o Thursday 4/2: 1 pm – 5 pm
The City of Whitewater encourages all registered voters to vote absentee for the 2020 Spring Election, but voting by mail rather than in person is strongly recommended. Please visit MyVote.WI.gov to request an absentee ballot. This site can also be used to confirm the status of a voter registration. NOTE: Per a court order, online voter registration for the spring election is allowed until March 30, 2020.
What do I do if I need to talk with a police officer? – Individuals needing to speak with a member of the Whitewater Police Department can still request assistance by using the intercom in the Whitewater Street entryway or by calling 262-473-0555 (Option 4)
Are any city departments open? – No services will be accessible from the Municipal building. However, a majority of employees are working from home and can be reached via phone or email. Contact information for employees is available on our website (https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/1) by selecting the Contact Us link at the bottom of each webpage of the site.
Avoiding the Rumor Mill. The City of Whitewater would remind residents to observe all formal public announcements from official sources. Avoid contributing to panic by sharing false information. Recommended sources of information include the following:
• Governor Tony Evers Webpage for Executive Orders: https://evers.wi.gov/Pages/Newsroom/Executive-Orders.aspx
• Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/
• Jefferson County Health Department: https://www.jeffersoncountywi.gov/departments/health/Coronavirus.php
• Walworth County Department of Health & Human Services: https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/304/Health-Human-Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
• Whitehouse.gov: https://www.coronavirus.gov/
Thank you for your efforts to reduce the spread and flatten the curve.
