MONTE VISTA - The City of Monte Vista announced the closure of all City facilities to the public
effective Wednesday, March 18. This closure includes, but is not limited to, public business and activities at City Hall (including Municipal Court) and all other public City facilities. The Ski Hi Facility and all Recreation Department Activities are closed as well. Kid’s Connection will remain open temporarily but this may change with very short notice. This closure extends until May 4, 2020. The City will continually evaluate the situation and end or extend or modify the closure as circumstances change.
The City’s focus is the health and well-being of residents and members of the City team and continuing to deliver core services to the community.
The decision to close City facilities to the public is the next step in the City’s ongoing response to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Since January, the City has prepared by sharing infection prevention with the community and with City team members, providing additional training to employees, ensuring adequate supplies of safety materials and updating continuity of service plans to able to scale and adjust to continue to deliver services to the Monte Vista community.
The City will post updated information regarding cancellations and postponements on our website at https://cityofmontevista.colorado.gov/    Payments for City Services Bills and Court fines can be made via mail, the drop box in front of City Hall, by telephone, and online via express bill pay. The City is requesting that customers do not place cash in the box after 5 p.m. or before 8 a.m. The box will be checked multiple times during the course of the business day.

City of Monte Vista Municipal Courts closed
Beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020, through May 31, 2020, the City of Monte Vista Municipal Courts will be closed. Therefore, we have sent out letters to all individuals who have a pending matter within the City of Monte Vista Municipal Courts and have rescheduled them with a new date and time for their court case.
Court payments can be made via online through Xpress Bill Pay, mail in payments, or the drop box located to the south of the main entrance of City Hall. Envelopes will be provided for those wishing to make cash payments at the drop box. Please make sure all cash payments left are the exact amount of your fines. We will continue this process until the COVID-19 outbreak has become non-threatening.

City of Monte Vista Public Works – toilet paper
The City of Monte Vista Public Works recognizes that many of you are concerned with COVID-19 as seen by the mass purchases in our local stores. The unprecedented run on toilet paper and other paper products has us concerned. Our Wastewater Collection System was not designed for some of what I suspect may start to be flushed down the toilet.
Sanitary Sewer systems are designed around items that are considered flushable; meaning items that degrade in water. Toilet paper is one of those items. However, as we have all seen the toilet paper in the stores are gone and now so are paper towels, napkins and baby wipes and other types of wipes. Unfortunately, many of these items were not meant to be flushed down a toilet. As personal hygiene is a huge concern right now; the Public Works would like to remind our customers and residents that only flushable items should be flushed down the toilets.
Items such as paper towels, napkins, many of the disinfection wipes as well as feminine hygiene products should not be flushed but instead placed into trash containers and disposed of properly. Flushing any of the above listed items can cause backups and other problems in the piping that carries wastes to be treated. These backups can be in the mains or service lines. Plus, at the treatment plants those items can clog the bar screens or damage pumps to the treatment facilities.

Monte Vista Financial Preparations for COVID-19
The City of Monte Vista’s Finance Department will be implementing the following policies that will affect both the citizens of Monte Vista as well as members of staff for the City of Monte Vista.
First, in an effort to continue to operate in a fiscally sound manner, staff will reduce spending to only essential expenditures for the continued operation of the City. Nonessential spending will be placed on hold until the full effects of this outbreak are realized. This is to ensure the City has plenty of monetary resources and fund balances to support the day to day operations as well as continued pay to employees. Currently the City has enough capital and resources to operate without concern for at least three months should things start to lag at a higher government level.
Second, staff will utilize internal budget process forms for any large expenditures that require additional funding or money transferred from other line items.
Third, utility bill payments and court payments will be made via online through Xpress Bill Pay, mail in payments, or the drop box located to the south of the main entrance of City Hall. Envelopes will be provided for those wishing to make cash payments at the drop box. Any overpayment from a cash transaction will result in a credit to the customer’s utility account and applied to future bills until the COVID-19 outbreak has become non-threatening. If a citizen moves before the credit is used, they may request a refund of overpayment in the form of a check once the property has transferred to new ownership.
Fourth, the City will not assess any shut-off fees or perform shut-offs beginning with the May billing. Any prior shut-off fees and balances are still and will remain the responsibility of the customer. The City of Monte Vista will continue to operate and send out bills as it has always done regardless of any circumstances resulting from COVID-19. Citizens of Monte Vista will still be required to pay utility bills as they always have been with the same terms in place.
If you have any questions regarding anything pertaining to this communication, please contact Jennifer Signs, Finance Director, at 719-852-8252 or [email protected]