(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

opening the doors

Red Deerians welcome back to City Hall as of June 21

Jun 18, 2021 | 3:07 PM

Red Deer City Hall reopens to the public for payments and in-person customer service starting June 21.

Utility and tax payments will be the first to become available, with licensing and permit services opening July 12.

Hours will be Monday through Friday, from 8 to 4:30 p.m, with the exception of holidays.

“We are excited to be reopening City Hall for in-person payments and customer service,” says Acting City Manager Tara Lodewyk. “This long awaited reopening will enable us to reconnect with our customers in person and still support doing business with us online, where possible.”

Renovations that took place during the shutdown mean all customer service interactions will now take place on the main floor of City Hall.

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Other changes that took place include new windows and doors, improved customer service kiosks, new security controls and numerous health and safety measures that serve to protect employees and customers accessing City Hall.

“As we reopen City Hall for in-person customer service, the health and safety of our citizens and employees is still top of mind. Masks are required inside the building and there will be capacity limits for the number of customers permitted inside at one time,” said Lodewyk. “We kindly ask that anybody coming to City Hall, or accessing any of our recreation or public facilities, uphold all public health restrictions as we work to keep everyone safe throughout the phased reopening.”

A full reopening and return to work for all City employees is slated for sometime between June 21 and Sept. 7.

That includes at the Professional Building, Civic Yards and all other City-owned and operated rec and culture facilities.

“COVID-19 has limited us in many ways. It has taught The City to innovate, work differently and find efficiencies. As we transition back to in-person service, we ask our customers to be patient with us as we navigate the new challenges of our ever changed in-person business offerings,” said Lodewyk. “Our business looks different than it did when we closed City Hall more than 15 months ago, and while we are excited to be once again serving you in person, we do expect some bumps along the way.”

Starting June 21, the following payments can be made in person at City Hall:

– Utility bill payment
– Property tax payment
– Parking ticket payment
– Re-loading parking card
– Accounts Receivable invoice payment
– Licence payment
– Special event permit payment
– Other miscellaneous fee payments

Starting July 12, the following payments and customer service will be available in-person at City Hall:

– Parking inquiries
– Licence and permit and applications
– Inspections

More information is at reddeer.ca/covid19.