The city of Cloquet issued the following press release following Gov. Tim Walz press conference Wednesday.

At the direction of the Governor, the City of Cloquet offices will close effective March 27, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. and remain closed during the Governor's “Stay at Home Order” is rescinded. The City will continue providing essential community services.

The City of Cloquet recognizes that the closure of public facilities and curtailing many municipal services will cause inconvenience for members of our community; we support the Governor's decision and believe it is in the best interest of our State and community as a whole. During this time, staff will respond to email and emergency situations. We look forward to returning to our workplaces and welcoming the public back as soon as possible.

Currently, we anticipate no interruption in the delivery of core services for public safety and public works, including law enforcement along with safe drinking water, sanitary sewer operation and emergency infrastructure maintenance. Sa

A complete staff directory is available on our website at http://www.cloquetmn.gov. For general inquiries please send an email to [email protected] or call our centralized phone line: 218 879-3347 and leave a message.

Visit http://www.cloquetmn.gov for updates

Public Meeting Updates We encourage you to watch the meeting which will be streamed live on the City's website and available after the meeting to view at your convenience. Please see the City's website for additional information on upcoming meetings and how to provide public comments.

Cloquet Police Department will continue patrolling and response to Emergency and 911 Call for Service. Lower level offenses that do not necessitate an officer response will be handled via telephone. Non-emergency calls for service (218-384-4185) will be handled on a case by case basis. Other services such as permits to purchase firearms, ATV licenses, report copies, etc. call 218-879-1247 will be suspended at this time. A phone to contact Dispatch remains available in the parking lot side entryway of the City Hall/Police Department building.

Library Staff will continue to monitor the library's email account at [email protected] and will attempt to answer questions you may have.

Patrons do not need to return borrowed materials at this time. Overdue and lost fines will be waived until further notice. Please note, the library has an extensive collection of online services including eBooks, eAudiobooks, downloadable magazines. Please visit our website at http://www.cloquetlibrary.org for more information.

Public Works Public Works will continue to respond to emergency street and utility situations. All calls for emergency services must be routed to the public works dispatcher at 218-624-0391. Examples of emergency services include sewer back-ups, suspected water leaks, snow plowing, and street obstruction removal/remediation. Per the Governor's order, staff cannot be dispatched for nonemergency or routine maintenance operations. Questions regarding project bids should be submitted via Bid Express. A complete listing of staff e-mails can be found on the City Website at http://www.cloquetmn.gov for any nonemergency correspondence.

Finance Department The Finance Department will continue to accept payments via U.S. Mail, and processing online payments for utility bills only at http://www.cloquetmn.gov. If you would like to make a utility bill payment by phone please call 1-877-885-7968. Drop boxes will NOT be picked up during this shutdown. Penalties will be waived until further notice. Payments to vendors, assessment searches, invoices, and utility bills are expected to be delayed depending on the length of the shutdown. The Finance Department is available weekdays, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm by voicemail or email. A complete listing of staff e-mails can be found on the City Website at http://www.cloquetmn.gov for any nonemergency correspondence.

Community Development (Permits and License) The Community Development Department remains available to respond to questions and needs during this time as follows:

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For general building permit questions please email or call Laurie: [email protected]; 218-879-2507 xl. For general building code/plan review construction questions please email or call Matt: [email protected]; 218-879-2507 x2. During this shut down routine building

inspections will not be conducted, unless an inspection is required in order to support a critical/essential service. For general planning, zoning, and subdivision questions please email or call Al: [email protected]; 218-879-2507 x3 For economic development questions please email or call Holly: [email protected]; 218-879-2507 x4

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Also, for general building code/plan review construction questions please email or call Building Official Matt Munter: [email protected]; 218-879-2507 x2.