As you are aware, COVID-19 has significantly impacted our country and the City of Newark. Governor John Carney issued a State of Emergency Declaration with 10 modifications to date. The ways in which we live our daily lives have drastically changed and the City has altered operations to comply with the guidelines issued by the State and to keep staff and residents safe and healthy.
Below you will find departmental changes and additional measures taken by the City to comply with the Governor’s State of Emergency. To stay up to date with changes that occur in the future, visit newarkde.gov/informme to sign up for updates from InformMe, our citizen notification system.

City Hall:

• City Hall is closed until further notice.
• Staff can be reached by calling 302.366.7000.
• All public meetings and workshops that have not been cancelled are being held virtually through May 15th. Information on virtual meeting access can be found on the meeting’s agenda. Meeting agendas and minutes can be found under the “Government” tab of our website.
• City Council meetings are being held virtually via the GoToMeeting platform. If you would like to participate, the link to join each meeting will be posted on our website and social media as well as on the posted agenda.

City Secretary’s Office:

• Per the sixth modification of the State of Emergency Order, the City Council election for Districts 3, 5 and 6 has been postponed. The election process will resume once the Order is lifted. Further details will be shared when a new date is identified and updates can be found at newarkde.gov/elections.

Department of Public Works and Water Resources:

• Trash, recycling and dumpsters will be picked up on their normal schedule. All trash should be inside the cart with the lid closed. Loose trash and bags placed on the curb will not be collected. Please take care to ensure that carts are placed in a manner that can easily be collected by the automated arms on our refuse trucks, with at least three feet between carts.
• Green Wednesday yard waste collection resumed on April 1st and will occur bi-weekly. The next scheduled pick-up is Wednesday, April 15th. We will continue to operate on a bi-weekly basis until further notice.
• Bulk collections are suspended until further notice.
• Residents are encouraged to download the Recycle Coach app which sends personalized pick-up reminders and holiday scheduling changes.

Department of Parks and Recreation:

• Parks and Recreation programs and activities are canceled through the end of April. Registered participants will receive a refund.
• Park pavilion and George Wilson Center rentals scheduled before May 15th will be canceled or rescheduled.
• Events sponsored by Parks and Recreation have been canceled including the Egg Hunt, Spring Community Clean Up, Earth Day Volunteer Day, Memorial Day Parade and May concerts that are part of the Spring Concert Series.
• Parks and trails remain open from dawn until dusk.
• Playgrounds and skate parks are closed. Basketball courts at Handloff, Dickey, Folk, Kells, Phillips, White Chapel, Fairfield, Kershaw and Lumbrook Parks are closed.
• All tennis courts are closed.

Alderman’s Court:

• Alderman’s Court is not in session. All court dates scheduled for April and May have been rescheduled. If you have not received a new date, please call 302.366.7000.

Payments and Utility Billing:

• Walk-in services are suspended. You are encouraged to pay bills online at newarkde.gov/payments. In addition, utility bills can be paid by phone at 302.366.7000.
• The City has suspended late fees and utility shut-offs during the State of Emergency.
• Please contact our Payment and Utility Billing (PUB) office at 302.366.7000 if you have the need to establish a payment arrangement on your utility bill.

Planning and Development Department:

• Permit applications and related documents may be submitted using the drop box located in the lobby area of City Hall or they may be emailed to: aconrad@newark.de.us.
• Do not leave payments in the drop box. Payments can be made online or by mail once you receive notification that your permit has been approved.
• Inspections are still being conducted for commercial projects. Residential inspections are limited to exterior work, detached structures and additions with exterior entrances.
• Residential appliance replacement (water heaters, HVAC etc.) inspections are deferred until normal operations are resumed, unless needed for change of ownership.
• To schedule an inspection, please call 302-366-7000 ext 2069.

Newark Police Department:

• Certain 911 calls that are not in-progress such as minor thefts, fraud, etc. may be handled by the Newark Police Department via telephone rather than in-person.
• Officers are citing individuals who violate the City’s emergency ordinance prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people.

Please also note the following important guidelines issued by Governor Carney:

• All schools are closed until at least May 15th to fight the spread of COVID-19.
• Delawareans are ordered to stay at home unless it’s for essential travel. Essential travel includes caring for or delivering supplies to elderly persons, children and people with disabilities, grocery shopping, medical appointments and to care for pets.
• People who violate the emergency order can be fined up to $500 or subject to imprisonment for up to six months per violation.
• The presidential primary is moved to June 2nd. If you would like to request an absentee ballot, you may do so through https://ivote.de.gov.
• Out-of-state travelers entering Delaware must self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Only childcare centers providing services to employees of essential businesses may remain open.
• Businesses may have no more than 20% of fire capacity in the store at any time and no more than 10% during exclusive hours for high-risk populations.
• Businesses must clearly mark six-foot spacing in check-out lines to encourage social distancing.

For information on the evolving situation in Delaware, visit de.gov/coronavirus or call the Division of Public Health hotline at 866.408.1899.

The City will continue to monitor the situation and alter plans as required. Please like us on Facebook (@CityofNewarkDelaware) and follow us on Twitter (@CityofNewarkDE) for updates.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely, 

Tom Coleman, City Manager