Mequon Weekly Bulletin - March 6, 2020

Upcoming Meetings
Planning Commission: March 9 - 6:00 P.M. (Agenda)
Architectural Board: March 9 - 6:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Public Welfare Committee: March 10 - 5:45 P.M. (Agenda)
Public Safety Committee: March 10 - 6:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Public Works Committee: March 10 - 6:45 P.M. (Agenda)
Finance-Personnel Committee: March 10 – 7:00 P.M. (Agenda)
Water Utility Commission: March 10 - 7:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Sewer Utility District Commission: March 10 - 7:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Common Council: March 10 - 7:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Future of Our Fire Department Committee: March 17 – 6:00 P.M.
Tree Board: March 18 – 5:45 P.M.
Ethics Board: March 18 – 6:00 P.M. (Agenda)
Frank L. Weyenberg Library Board of Trustees: March 18 – 6:00 P.M.
Park and Open Space Board: March 18 – 6:30 P.M.

Mequon Police Department Receives Generous Donation from Junior Woman’s Club
On Thursday, March 5, Captain Hoell and Chief Pryor attended a 15-year celebration of the Junior Woman’s Club Turkey Trot at the American Legion Post. The Junior Woman's Club of Mequon- Thiensville is a group dedicated to the support of, and involvement in, community service. The group promotes the personal growth of its members by providing philanthropic, leadership, and social opportunities. The annual 5K Turkey Trot, held in scenic Thiensville, is the group's largest annual fundraiser. At this celebration, the Police Department was presented with a generous donation of $15,000.00 to the Mequon Community Foundation for the Transitional K9 program.

Fire Department Issues Annual Report
The Mequon Fire Department’s annual report is complete and is now on the City’s website, under Fire/Ambulance. Please click here to view the Department’s 2019 annual report.

City Clerk’s Office Enhances Open Record Request Process
Part of the duties of the Clerk’s Office is to respond to Open Records Requests. Requests come in from the public, elected officials and other municipalities on topics such as building permits, financial documents, voters by absentee ballot, and much more. Since staff works for the public, the majority of work created on a daily basis is preserved for the public to view if they so choose to request it.

The goal of staff is to respond to any request within ten business days. In 2019 the city recorded 92 Open Records Requests, and 89 were responded to within this timeframe. The remaining three were lengthy requests that took slightly longer than ten days to compile. New in 2020, the list of requests will be published on the city website. Information gathered will be what documents were requested, who requested them, how long it takes staff to assemble the materials and whether or not staff met the ten-day goal. For more information and to view a recap of the 2019 requests visit the Clerk’s page of the website or click here.

Mequon Police Department Becomes an ICAC Affiliate
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children. The Mequon Police Department is now an ICAC Affiliate and is a member of the ICAC Task Force Program. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. In addition to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation, ICAC is also involved in the prevention of Human Trafficking. The other affiliates in Ozaukee County are the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Grafton Police Department, and Cedarburg Police Department.

Mequon Public Safety Implements COVID-19 Procedures
The risk of anyone getting COVID-19 in Wisconsin is still low. In efforts to be proactive, the Mequon Fire and Police Departments have worked collaboratively this past week with the City’s Emergency Services Medical Director from St. Mary's Ozaukee to ensure that protocols are in place to both identify and appropriately respond to any potential cases of COVID-19 that occur within the community. These steps have included monitoring both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State of Wisconsin provided information regarding the location of active COVID-19 cases and implementing the isolation response procedures as outlined in the guiding documents. The Mequon PD Dispatch Center has configured the EMS call taking software to prompt dispatchers to ask a series of screening questions to determine the likelihood that an individual may be suffering from COVID-19 like symptoms. If there is a likelihood that the party requiring EMS services may be suffering from COVID-19 symptoms, all responders will be notified and take the proper isolation precautions to prevent exposure from the symptomatic party. Both Departments will continue to monitor the situation and ensure best practices remain implemented. Again, the risk of anyone getting COVID-19 in Wisconsin is still low as of this update.

Meanwhile, the CDC recommends the following to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect heavily used surfaces and objects on a frequent basis.