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Vale closes city hall, library

The Vale City Council decided to close access to city hall Wednesday night during a special meeting. (Enterprise/File)

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VALE – The Vale City Council voted in a special meeting Wednesday night to close city hall and the library in response to the COVID-19 virus.

The council also decided to defer loan payments to its revolving loan fund for 90 days, said City Manager Russ Kirkpatrick.

“The city wants to take care of its businesses. We are not going to lose one business over this,” said Kirkpatrick.

The library and city hall, said Kirkpatrick, are closed indefinitely.

Local residents are still required to pay their city utility bills, said Kirkpatrick, and can place their payments in a box outside city hall.

“If someone had some type of handicap, we have a bell on the back door and they can ring that and we can get the bill from them,” said Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick said the city is functioning at “full capacity.”

City employees will continue to be available by telephone at 541-473-3133 and email during business hours.

The city public works department also asks that residents be prudent about what they flush down the toilet. Wipes or anything other than toilet paper should not be flushed as it can cause city mainlines to back up.

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