On Monday, Jan. 4, Governor Doug Burgum announced Cass County is changing from the orange, high-risk level, to yellow, moderate risk level, effective 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 8. In accordance with this change, the City of West Fargo is adjusting municipal services and building operations based on North Dakota Smart Restart guidelines to continue operating safely for both employees and the public.
The following changes will go into effect 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 8. The West Fargo Police Department and City Hall (800 Fourth Ave. E.) will open to the public for walk-in services at designated reception areas, such as municipal court and utility bill payments. The public is encouraged to utilize the drop box in front of the north shared entrance of the building to submit payments and materials to the City when possible. Individuals must make appointments to meet directly with staff or visit office areas.
The Municipal Court will continue to hold appearances by telephone, but trials will be held in person. Public Works and Sanitation buildings will remain closed to walk-ins and are only available to visit by appointment only. Visitors for scheduled appointments will need to sanitize, wear facemasks and practice social distancing. The Assessing Department will not schedule any on-site property reviews for occupied buildings.
The West Fargo Fire Department will open their stations to the public. All employees within the fire department will be wearing personal protective equipment, sanitizing thoroughly, doing temperature checks and maintaining social distance guidelines.
The West Fargo Public Library is currently open by appointment and for curbside pickup, but will reopen to walk-in services Tuesday, Jan. 19. The hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. The library will continue contactless curbside pickup and virtual programming, with safety protocols in place. Those protocols include the availability of masks and sanitizers, capacity seating, suspension of programs and meeting room use at the library and the availability of self-service hold pickup and item checkout. For more information about specific COVID-19 safety protocols or information about library events and programming, visit www.westfargolibrary.org.
Contracted cleaning crews will thoroughly clean and disinfect all areas of any building in use.
Meetings will be limited to small groups with capacity restrictions, and attendees will be spaced to maintain 6 feet apart. Beginning Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, public meetings can be in the Commission Chambers with capacity and spacing restrictions and a video conference participation option is available. Some meetings may still be held exclusively online. To determine options for participation for a specific meeting, please check the events calendar on www.westfargond.gov. Details of these meetings are subject to change until the meeting begins, so attendees are encouraged to check the calendar close to the meeting date and time.
Each department may have their own individual policies and procedures based on the needs and functions of the department that will go into effect. The community is encouraged to call (701) 433-5300 and ask to speak to the specific department to check their operational policies.