Last week, Governor Brian Kemp announced that Georgia’s Public Health State of Emergency would be extended until August 11, 2020. Today, City Manager Alan Carson announced that this extension would have an impact on some City operations, including the reopening of City administrative buildings and facilities. City of Thomasville administrative offices were originally scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 13, 2020.
“While disappointing, we have made the decision to delay our reopening to ensure the health and safety of our staff, our customers and the citizens we serve,” said Carson. “This has always been and will continue to be our first priority. We appreciate the continued patience of our community and our customers during this unprecedented time.”
Carson said that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, City of Thomasville staff have continued to find creative ways to meet the needs of the community. “In many cases, we have been able to serve our customers remotely via our website, Thomasville.org,” he said. “While our buildings will remain closed for now, I assure you that our staff is here each day, ready to serve our citizens and customers.”
Although City buildings and facilities will remain closed to customers, meetings of citizen boards will resume after July 13th as previously announced. “Our citizen boards are important to our operations, so we look forward to the return of a regular meeting schedule,” said Carson. “Social distancing will be observed so that these meetings are conducted in compliance with the Governor’s most recent Executive Orders.” Meeting dates and locations for citizen boards are available on Thomasville.org.
Large public events will continue to be postponed for now, including the August First Friday Sip and Stroll. “We look forward to resuming this popular concert series later this fall,” said Carson. Park reservations and special event permits will also continue to be suspended for gatherings of more than 50 individuals.
Utility disconnections for non-payment will resume on August 1, 2020 as previously announced. “We have worked with our customers to suspend utility disconnections for non-payment and hold all late fees and penalty charges for the last four months,” said Carson. “We have reached out to customers with an outstanding balance and, if necessary, we will establish payment arrangements for those that may have difficulty bringing their accounts current prior to August 1st.” Customers with questions about their account status should call 227-7001 to speak to a member of Customer Care.
“We want to thank our customers and our community for the incredible amount of cooperation we have received throughout the COVID-19 crisis,” said Carson. “While the last several months have been challenging, we have worked together as a community to navigate this unprecedented situation. We look forward to a full return to our normal operations soon.”
The City of Thomasville has established a special page on Thomasville.org dedicated to the City’s COVID-19 response. Additional information will be shared on the City’s social media sites and CNSNext Channel 6. For more information visit Thomasville.org or call 229-227-7001.