COVI D-19 Monthly Work Session Agenda Copyrighted
September 8, 2020
City of Dubuque Work Session - Top # 1.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: COVID-19 MonthlyWorkSessionAgenda
SUM MARY: City staff and network partners will provide updates on the internal and
community-facing responses to the COVI D-19 pandemic.
Tentative presentation order:
• 5:00 p.m. - Community COVI D-19 Update & Communication
Response: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
• 5:30 p.m. - Update on Housing & UtilityAssistance Programs:
Alexis Steger, Housing & Community Development Director
• 5:40 p.m. - Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Update:
Nancy Van Milligen, President/CEO
• 5:50 p.m. - United Way of Dubuque Update: Danielle Peterson,
President/CEO
• 6:00 p.m. - Greater Dubuque Development Corporation: Rick
Dickinson, President/CEO
• 6:10 p.m. - Fiscal Year 21 Revenue & Budget Update: Jennifer
Larson, Finance & Budget Manager
SUGGESTED
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
COVI D-19 Monthly Work Session Agenda-MVM City Manager Memo
Memo
Work Session Staff Memo Staff Memo
FY21 Updated Revenue and Utility Billing Delinquency Staff Memo
Rate- Staff Memo
Criteria for Lifting Face Covering Ordinance- Staff Staff Memo
Memo
lowa Department of Public Health Data Inconsistencies Staff Memo
- Staff Memo
Dubuque
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Agenda for September 8, 2020 City Council Work Session re: COVID-19
Response
DATE: September 3, 2020
Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach is transmitting the agenda for the Work Session
on COVID-19 Response. The presentation will provide updates from City staff and our
partners on the internal and community-facing response to COVID-19.
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Mic ael C. Van Milligen
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Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Dubuque
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TO: Michael C Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
DATE: September 3, 2020
RE: Agenda for 9.8.20 City Council Work Session: re: COVID-19 Response
The purpose of this memo is to provide an agenda for the City Council Work Session
scheduled for September 8, 2020. The presentation will provide updates from City staff
and our partners on the internal and community-facing response to COVID-19.
Tentative presentation order:
5:00 pm Community COVID-19 Update & Communication Response
Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
5:30 pm Update on Housing & Utility Assistance Programs
Alexis Steger, Housing & Community Development Director
5:40 pm Fiscal Year 21 Revenue & Budget Update
Jennifer Larson, Finance & Budget Manager
6:00 pm Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Update
Nancy Van Milligen, President/CEO
6:10 pm United Way of Dubuque Update
Danielle Peterson, President/CEO
6:20 pm Greater Dubuque Development Corporation
Rick Dickinson, President/CEO
6:30 pm Regular City Council meeting begins
The most up-to-date information will be shared verbally during the work session.
Thank you.
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Jennifer Larson, Director of Finance and Budget
SUBJECT: Revised Fiscal Year 2021 Revenue Projections and Utility Billing Delinquent
Account Statistics
DATE: September 3, 2020
Fiscal Year 2021
The Fiscal Year 2021 General Fund revenue projections have been updated based on
information received to-date. The revised revenue losses as compared to July 30, 2020
estimated losses are as follows:
FY21 FY21
9/2/20 Estimated 7/30/20 Estimated
Fiscal Year 2021 Revenue Surplus Revenue Surplus
General Fund Revenue (Loss) (Loss)
Property Taxes , ($210,433) ($308,637)
DRA Rent ($840,523) ($840,523)
Gaming Taxes ($44,380) ($44,380)
Hotel/Motel Tax ($658,887) ($389,000)
Local Option Sales Tax (50% Operating) $147,155 ($2,897,547)
Electric Franchise Fees ($125,000) ($125,000)
Gas Franchise Fees ($49,518) ($49,518)
Investment Earnings ($150,000) ($200,000)
lowa District Court Fines ($85,590) ($101,000)
Camping/Pavilion Fees ($60,000) ($60,000)
Recreation Programs/Golf/Marina $214,167 $214,167
Building Permits ($125,000) ($125,000)
Housing Inspections ($100,000) ($100,000)
Zoning Inspections ($15,000) ($15,000)
Business Licenses ($25,000) ($25,000)
Total General Fund Operating Revenue Loss ($2,128,009) ($5,066,438)
Property Taxes
Fiscal Year 2021 Property Taxes delinquency rate has been reduced from 1.37% to 0.80%,
which is due to offsetting prior year taxes paid in Fiscal Year 2021. $148,541 of prior year taxes
have been collected to date.
Dubuque Racing Association Rent
Dubuque Racing Association Rent has continued to be strong for the first three months the Q
Casino has been open (June - August). It is assumed that there will be a decline in revenues
once other casinos and video gaming terminals are open in surrounding states.
Hotel/Motel Tax
Hotel/Motel Tax projected loss has increased from $389,000 to $658,887 due to the City
receiving the first quarterly payment for FY21 which was 26% below budget. The remainder of
hotel/motel tax payments were also reduced by 26%.
Local Option Sales Tax — 50% Operating
The lowa Department of Revenue released the Fiscal Year 2021 Local Option Sales Tax
estimated payments on August 18, 2020. The LOST estimates from the lowa Department of
Revenue as compared to the City of Dubuque's FY 2021 budget are as follows:
IDOR
Period Estimates City Budget Difference
July 2020 $761,097 $761,097 $0
August — October $2,505,791 $2,293,173 +$212,618
2020
Nov 2020- Jan2021 $2,549,809 $2,345,757 +$204,052
February — April 2021 $2,145,286 $1,982,617 +$162,669
May — June 2021 $1,678,204 $1,552,638 +$125,566
FY20 Reconciliation Unknown $410,595 -$410,595
Payment Assuming $0
Total LOST $9,640,187 $9,345,876 $294,311
The lowa League of Cities received many concerns from city members about the local option
sales tax estimates released by the lowa Department of Revenue (IDR). There was much
surprise that no county-level estimates (which trickle down to cities via a distribution formula
based on the most recent full census and property values from 1982-1984) saw a decrease for
FY21, compared to FY20 re-estimates. The lowa League of Cities contact the lowa Department
of Revenue to gain an understanding of why Local Option Sales Tax estimates did not decrease
for Fiscal Year 2021.
Each fiscal year, IDR makes two sets of monthly estimates, and then a reconciliation of final
payments. Every August, cities and counties receive their estimated payments for the current
2
fiscal year. Before actuals are known, IDR distributes 95% of these estimates to the jurisdictions,
barring any rare mid-year adjustments. 5% is held in reserve until November of the year
following the end of the fiscal year for reconciliation. If a jurisdiction's estimated payments
exceed the actual collections, they will have to be repaid, often through reductions to the
following fiscal year payments (after the November reconciliation).
Note that this means that when IDR determines the fiscal year's annual estimated payments in
August, the final fiscal year totals from the preceding year will not yet be available until October
(reconciliation occurs in mid-November). In order to determine the year's estimates/payments,
IDR calculates a re-estimate for the preceding year, considering available data. Typically, this
will be data from the first three quarters of the fiscal year (September-March). An estimate is
made for the fourth quarter. The League's understanding is that for FY20, IDR has analyzed
some data on local option sales tax receipt collections for the fourth quarter, but that this will not
capture factors including returns. They also consider other data, including the prior years' data
for the same quarter.
Although it is still an estimate, the re-estimate takes a look at how close IDR thinks the original
estimate will be to actuals. The re-estimate is also important, because it is used in part of the
formula for calculating the following year. For example, the FY20 re-estimate that was calculated
in August 2020, was used within the methodology IDR followed for calculating the FY21
estimates that are sent to cities and counties in the same month. (see section on FY21 LOST
annual estimated payments below).
IDR's analysis of the FY20 annual estimated payments compared to the FY20 re-estimates show
that most county-level aggregations show an increase, not decrease, in totals.
Investment Earnings revenue loss was reduced based on actual receipts in June and July 2019.
86 counties had flat or positive increases in their FY20 re-estimate compared to their original
FY20 annual estimated payments released in August 2019. 13 counties had negative re-
estimates. If those actual final totals remain negative at reconciliation compared to distributions,
jurisdictions in those counties will see reductions in FY21 distributions. IDR also noted that
decreases may be a result of many factors, including COVID-19, but also other revenue
differences, such as estimates for online sales taxes, some jurisdictions that began collecting
local option sales tax mid-fiscal year, etc. The latter were likely more difficult to originally predict
with less or no revenue data history.
FY21 annual estimates released this month reflect, perhaps surprisingly, that despite the current
pandemic, local option sales taxes for FY21 are not forecasted to decrease (in aggregate).
However, there will be counties and jurisdictions that may still see reductions. IDR stressed that
these are estimates based on the information available at this time. IDR cited the State's May
2020 Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) as a major factor in estimating FY21 sales tax
revenues. For more on what the REC is, see https://dom.iowa.qov/faq/what-revenue-estimatinq-
conference. The REC used a 0.9% increase estimate generally for local sales taxes forecasted
for FY21. In order to calculate FY21 local option sales tax revenues, IDR has applied the 0.9%
increase to all counties whose FY20 re-estimate was flat or positive; similarly, IDR has applied a
flat 0% to all counties whose FY20 re-estimate was negative.
3
Based on the Fiscal Year 2021 estimates that the City of Dubuque received from IDR, we know
that Dubuque saw an increase in LOST in Fiscal Year 2020 and the IDR applied the 0.9%
increase to LOST estimates. It is unknown if the City of Dubuque will receive a reconciliation
payment in November and to be conservative it is assumed that no payment will be received for
projection purposes.
Investment Earnings
Investment earnings revenue loss was reduced based on actual receipts in July through August
2019. The City has certificates of deposits at higher interest rates maturing during the first part of
the fiscal year which reduces the expected loss in investment earnings.
lowa District Court Fines
lowa District Court Fines revenue loss was reduced based on actual receipts in June through
August 2019.
Other Major Funds
The following table shows the Fiscal Year 2021 revised estimated revenue losses as compared
to the July 30, 2020 estimated losses for other major funds:
FY21 FY21
9/2/20 7/30/20
Estimated Estimated
Other Major Funds Revenue Loss Revenue Loss
DRA Distribution (100% Capital) ($1,599,417) ($1,599,417)
Local Option Sales Tax (50% Capital) $147,155 ($2,769,811)
Road Use Tax ($670,129) ($1,149,431)
Parking ($1,039,542) ($1,039,542)
Water ($97,000) ($97,000)
Sanitary Sewer ($141,000) ($141,000)
Stormwater ($13,000) ($13,000)
Refuse I ($29,000) ($29,000)
Total Other Major Funds � ($3,441,933) ($6,838,201)
Dubuque Racing Association Distribution
Dubuque Racing Association Distribution payment to the City is unchanged from the July 30,
2020 projections. It is assumed that there will be a decline in revenues once other casinos and
video gaming terminals are open in surrounding states. The DRA Distribution payment projection
will be updated once additional information is received from the Dubuque Racing Association in
January 2021.
4
Local Option Sales Tax — 50% Capital
The lowa Department of Revenue released the Fiscal Year 2021 Local Option Sales Tax
estimated payments on August 18, 2020. Based on the Fiscal Year 2021 estimates that the City
of Dubuque received from IDR, we know that Dubuque saw an increase in LOST in Fiscal Year
2020 and the IDR applied the 0.9% increase to LOST estimates. It is unknown if the City of
Dubuque will receive a reconciliation payment in November and to be conservative it is assumed
that no payment will be received for projection purposes. Additional information on the local
option sales tax estimates can be found on pages 2-3.
Road Use Tax
The Road Use Tax revenue projections have been updated to be a 10% reduction for 6 months
and an 8% reduction for 6 months. The July 30, 2020 projections used a 20% reduction for 6
months and a 10% reduction for 6 months. Road Use Tax has a two-month lag between
collections and payment of the allocation to the City. The IDOT has looked at traffic and vehicle
sales trends and analyzed several months of actual RUTF allocations and updated their long-
term COVID-19 Impacts on RUTF. The IDOT initial estimate was that from
June 2020 through October 2020, the reduction in RUTF due to COVID-19 would be
approximately $100 million. The revised estimate is that there will be a reduction in RUTF of
approximately $50 million. The $50 million reduction reflects about a 10 percent loss of RUTF
over that five-month period. The RUTF/TIME-21 allocations over that five-month period will be
10 percent lower than normal. For the period from November 2020 through June 2021, the IDOT
initially estimated a reduction of about 10 percent. Now the estimate is a reduction of
approximately eight percent. The reduction may be less than that; however, given the
uncertainty of COVID-19 impacts during that period, the IDOT is continuing to be conservative.
Parking Fund
The Parking revenue loss for July through August 2020 is $634,389. The estimated Parking
revenue loss is unchanged from previous estimates and will be updated when there are more
months of revenue collection history. Most companies have employees still working remotely
which impacts parking revenues.
Water, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater and Refuse Funds
Water, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater and Refuse estimated revenue losses have remained the
same based on the City continuing to not assess late fees, penalties or do service shut offs.
Customers with delinquent accounts have been offered payment plan options for any delinquent
balance that occurred after March 1, 2020.
COVID-19 Course of Action
The following is the course of action being taken to help mitigate the financial burden of COVID-
19:
1. Administratively initiate a hiring freeze on most positions that are vacant or become
vacant in Fiscal Year 2021. Positions will be evaluated by the City Manager on a case-
by-case basis as they become vacant, with there being few exceptions to the freeze. This
5
hiring freeze will be reevaluated on October 1, 2020. How far into Fiscal Year 2021
vacant positions are frozen will be determined by the revenues. Should this appear to be
more of a long-term issue, it will need to be dealt with using a more long-term solution
through the Fiscal Year 2022 budget process. When positions were previously frozen in
Fiscal Year 2015, the budget was removed related to the frozen positions. This is not the
case for the vacant positions being frozen in Fiscal Year 2021, the budget will remain
intact for the frozen positions.
2. All travel budgets (conferences, education and training, city business travel) for all
departments have been frozen unless the conferences or education are needed to retain
job certifications, required for accreditation, the registration has been already paid, the
employee is on the Board of Directors, or employee has agreed to make a presentation.
The Fiscal Year 2021 travel budgets are funded but frozen.
3. Equipment replacements have been reviewed for Fiscal Year 2021. The Fiscal Year 2021
equipment replacement budgets are funded but some equipment replacements have
been identified to be delayed if necessary.
4. All capital projects have been frozen unless the project is already under contract, a grant
is associated with the project, the project is part of an agreement, or the project
addresses health and safety. The Fiscal Year 2021 capital project budgets are funded but
frozen.
5. No wage increases for non-bargaining and bargaining unit employees in Fiscal Year
2021.
6. Multiple employee work groups were formed (CIP & Equipment Team, Operating Budget
Team, Purchase of Services & Contracts Team, Grants and Contracts Team, and Staffing
and Vacant Position Review Team) to assist with the review of FY 21 projections which
minimally will be quarterly.
7. Departments were directed to develop budget reduction plans (10%, 20% and 30%).
The following positions are frozen in Fiscal year 2021:
Vacant
Department Fund FTE Type Position Date FY21 Cost
Building Services General 1.00 Full-Time Building Services 4/10/2020 $115,864
Manager
Building Services General 1.00 Full-Time Custodian 7/1/2020 $56,091
City Manager's General 0.25 Part-Time Scanning Intern 8/14/2020 $6,975
Office
City Manager's General 1.00 Full-Time Assistant City 09/11/2020 $127,327
Office Manager
Economic General 0.25 Seasonal Intern 8/3/2019 $7,912
Development
Engineering General 0.87 Full-Time Traffic Engineer 1/1/2019 $67,881
Engineering General 0.90 Full-Time Engineering Assist II 5/1/2018 $53,724
ROW Tech
6
Vacant
Department Fund FTE Type Position Date FY21 Cost
Fire General 1.00 Full-Time Fire Fighter 10/5/2019 $76,540
Fire General 1.00 Full-Time Fire Fighter 4/1/2020 $76,540
Fire General 1.00 Full-Time Fire Fighter 4/1/2020 $76,540
Housing General 0.50 Full-Time Assistant Director 11/1/2019 $48,287
Library General 1.00 Full-Time Youth Services 7/1/20 $68,479
MFC General 0.48 Part-Time Receptionist 4/1/2020 $20,985
Parks General 1.00 Full-Time Maintenance Worker 7/1/2019 $64,280
Planning General 0.38 Seasonal Intern 1/24/2020 $9,490
Police General 1.00 Full-Time Police Officer 7/1/2020 $84,234
Police General 1.00 Full-Time Police Officer 7/1/2020 $84,234
Police General 1.00 Full-Time Police Officer 7/1/2020 $84,234
Police General 1.00 Full-Time Police Officer 7/1/2020 $84,234
Police General 1.00 Full-Time School Resource 7/1/2020 $44,161
Officer
Police General 0.62 Part-Time Records Clerk 7/1/2019 $9,603
Public Works General 1.00 Full-Time Traffic Signal Tech II 7/1/2020 $91,234
Recreation General 1.00 Full-Time Facility Supervisor 7/1/2019 $70,004
Recreation General 0.09 Seasonal Golf Course Laborer 6/30/2019 $2,573
General Fund Total $1,551,721
Public Works Road Use 1.00 Full-Time Utility Worker 03/23/20 $15,391
Tax
Public Works Road Use 1.00 Full-Time Utility Worker 4/1/2020 $13,901
Tax
Public Works Road Use 1.00 Full-Time Utility Worker 4/1/2020 $ 13,901
Tax
Public Works Road Use 1.00 Full-Time Utility Worker 3/16/2020 $16,457
Tax
Road Use Tax Fund Total $59,650
Housing CDBG 0.25 Full-Time Assistant Director 11/1/2019 $24,149
CDBG Fund Total $24,149
Housing Section 8 0.25 Full-Time Assistant Director 11/1/2019 $ 24,149
Section 8 Fund Total $24,149
Engineering Sanitary 0.05 Full-Time Civil Engineer 07/01/2020 $5,404
Sewer
WRRC Sanitary 1.00 Full-Time WRRC Operator 6/14/2019 $60,139
Sewer
WRRC Sanitary 1.00 Full-Time Laboratory Supervisor 1/10/2020 $78,025
Sewer
Sanitary Sewer Fund Total $143,568
Engineering Stormwater 0.52 Full-Time Civil Engineer 7/1/2020 $16,992
Stormwater Fund Total $16,992
Water Water 1.00 Full-Time Water Distrib Maint. 3/9/2020 $59,694
Worker
Water Water 1.00 Full-Time Water Treatment 1/1/2019 $82,311
Plant Operator
Water Fund Total $142,005
7
Vacant
Department Fund FTE Type Position Date FY21 Cost
Engineering Internal 0.43 Full-Time Civil Engineer 7/1/2020 $45,659
Service
Engineering Internal 0.50 Full-Time Camera Systems 07/01/2020 $45,659
Service Technician
Engineering Internal 0.13 Full-Time Traffic Engineer 1/1/2019 $10,295
Service
Engineering Internal 0.10 Full-Time Engineering Assist II 5/1/2018 $6,746
Service ROW Tech
I Internal Service Fund Total $108,207
� Grand Total All Funds $2,070,441
The following chart summarizes the budgets frozen by fund:
Fund Positions FTE Equipment Travel Total Estimated Surplus/
Frozen Loss (Deficit)
General $1,551,721 20.84 $484,465 $570,256 $2,606,442 $2,128,009 $478,483
Road Use Tax $59,650 4.00 $2,000 $22,138 $83,788 $670,129 ($586,341)
Sanitary Sewer $143,568 2.05 0 $11,492 $155,060 $141,000 $14,060
Stormwater $16,992 0.62 $40,000 $13,360 $70,352 $13,000 $57,352
Water $142,005 2.00 $540,000 $29,348 $711,353 $97,000 $614,353
Parking $- 0.00 0 $5,400 $5,400 $1,039,542 ($1,034,142)
Refuse $- 0.00 0 $6,934 $6,934 $29,000 ($22,066)
Internal Service $108,207 1.16 0 $390 $108,597 0 $108,597
CDBG $24,149 0.25 0 $18,489 $42,638 0 $42,638
Section 8 $24,149 0.25 0 $19,950 $44,099 0 $44,099
Total $2,070,441 31.17 $1,066,465 $697,757 $3,834,663 $4,117,680 ($283,017)
Revenues are being reviewed monthly. Based on the revised revenue estimates as of
September 2, 2020, which include an increase in Local Option Sales Tax Revenue and a
reduced loss in Road Use Tax, the projected losses in the General, Sanitary, Stormwater and
Water funds can be covered by the budget items that have been frozen.
Analysis has been done by the City's Financial Advisor, Tionna Pooler from Independent Public
Advisors, on the capacity of the Greater powntown TIF district to cover the projected Parking
Fund deficit. The analysis performed indicates that the Greater powntown TIF district does have
capacity to cover a deficit up to $1.7 million in the Parking Fund.
The estimated Road Use Tax deficit can be covered by the General Fund, by both the savings
from frozen positions, equipment, and travel and by the General Fund reserve if necessary.
The budget reduction plans developed by departments will not be implemented at this time,
however the plans will be available if needed in the future.
General Fund Reserve
The City maintains a general fund reserve, or working balance, to allow for unforeseen expenses
that may occur. The reserve has increased by $9 million (76%) from Fiscal Year 2016 to Fiscal
Year 2020. The reserve will be 29.06% on June 30, 2020, as computed by the accrual basis
8
methodology used by Moody's Investors Service. The general fund reserve balance on an
accrual basis is $20,945,090 on June 30, 2020. The goal is to have at least a 20% reserve. In
Fiscal Year 2017, the City had projected reaching this consistent and sustainable 20% reserve
level in 2022. In fact, the City met the 20% reserve requirement in Fiscal Year 2018, four years
ahead of schedule, and with all the prior year contributions, this is sustainable. The general fund
reserve balance on an accrual basis exceeds 22% in FY 2020, which is the margin of error used
to ensure the City always has a general fund reserve of at least 20% as computed by Moody's
Investors Service. In FY 2021, the City will have a projected 24% reserve or $17,119,065, which
exceeds the 22% reserve balance goal by $2,853,694.
� � � � � � � � - �
Contribution $1,700,000 $— $— $— $— $— $—
City's Spendable
General Fund $20,945,090 $20,959,593 $17,119,065 $17,119,065 $17,119,065 $17,119,065 $17,119,065
Cash Reserve
Fund Balance
% of Projected 2g.06% 29.61% 24.00% 24.38% 23.67% 23.41% 23.35%
Revenue (Moody's)
Fiscal Year 2021 Budget
The City's adopted Fiscal Year 2021, which began July 1St, addressed the fiscal realities of the
pandemic while continuing to provide essential services to residents, businesses, and
stakeholders while minimizing the costs of those services as those groups also experience
hardships as a result of the pandemic.
The Fiscal Year 2021 budget features:
• A decrease in property taxes for the average residential, commercial, and industrial
properties.
• A decrease in refuse/trash collection fees.
• No increase in City water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater rates.
• No increase in pay for City employees.
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Residential �1.09 less 0.14°o decrease
Commercial $104.45 less 3.30% decrease
Industrial $132.61 less 2.81% decrease
Multi-Residential $158.73 more 9.13% increase
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9
The City of Dubuque has the LOWEST FY2021 property tax rate ($10.14 per thousand
assessed value) of lowa's 11 cities with populations over 50,000. The highest-ranked city
(Waterloo, $18.44) is 82% higher than Dubuque. The average of the other 10 cities ($14.99) is
48% higher than Dubuque.
2021 City Property Tax Comparison
$20 $17.46 �18.26 $18.44
$16 $14.90 $14.99 �15.66 $15.77 $16.78
$14 $11.80
$12 $10.14 $10.15 $10.67
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The City of Dubuque has the LOWEST FY2021 taxes per capita ($525) as compared to lowa's
11 cities with populations over 50,00. The highest (West Des Moines) is 142% higher than
Dubuque. The average is 61% higher than Dubuque.
2021 Taxable Value Per Capita Comparison
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Water Rate
There is no increase from FY 2020 for the average household (based on 6,000 per month) water
rate of$30.72 per month. Dubuque has the SECOND LOWEST FY2021 water rate of lowa's
seven cities with populations over 50,000 and lime softening treatment similar to Dubuque. The
highest rate (West Des Moines, $18.38) is 20% higher than Dubuque. The average of other 6
cities ($33.59) is 9% higher than Dubuque.
FY2021 WaterRateComparison
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Sanitary Sewer Rate
There is no increase from FY 2020 for the average household (based on 6,000 per month)
sanitary sewer rate of $42.24 per month. Dubuque has the FOURTH HIGHEST FY2021 sanitary
sewer rate of lowa's 11 cities with populations over 50,000. The highest rate (Ankeny, $61.66) is
46% higher than Dubuque. The average of other 10 cities ($40.687) is 4% lower than Dubuque.
FY2021 Sanitary Sewer Rate Comparison
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11
Stormwater Rate
There is no increase from FY 2020 for the average household (based on a single-family unit)
stormwater rate of$8.29 per month. Dubuque has the SECOND HIGHEST FY2021 stormwater
utility rate of lowa's 10 cities with populations over 50,000. The highest rate (Des Moines,
$14.68) is 77% higher than Dubuque. The average of other 9 cities ($5.89) is 29% lower than
Dubuque.
FY2021 StormwaterRate Comparison
s,c
514.68
�u
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E8.29
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S6.00 56.05 56.50
K S4.95 55.00
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Curbside Collection Rate
There is a 4.03% decrease from FY 2020 for the average household (based on a 35-gallon
container) curbside collection rate, decreasing from $15.62 in FY 2020 to $14.99 per month in
FY 2021. Dubuque has the FOURHT LOWEST FY2021 curbside collection rate of lowa's 11
cities with populations over 50,000. The highest rate (Ames, $26.25) is 75% higher than
Dubuque. The average of other 10 cities ($17.08) is 14% higher than Dubuque.
FY2021 SoHd Waste Collection Rate Comparison
=Private Collection
=City Collectlon
bo I
f26.25
us
522.53
�` 518.00
514.99 515.00 516.25 516.63 517.09 f17.10
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I�oir�M DuO�+W� Blull�
12
Debt Reduction Plan
In August 2015, the Mayor and City Council adopted a debt reduction strategy which targeted
retiring more debt each year than was issued by the City. This recommendation achieves that
target In every year except Fiscal Year 2022 due to the issuance of debt for the new downtown
parking ramp being moved up from FY 2025 to FY 2022.You can see that the Mayor and City
Council have significantly impacted the City's use of the statutory debt limit established by the
State of lowa. In Fiscal Year 2015, the City of Dubuque used 90% of the statutory debt limit. In
this budget recommendation, the Mayor and City Council are currently reviewing for Fiscal Year
2021, the use of the statutory debt limit would be 47%, and by the end of the recommended 5-
Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget in Fiscal Year 2025, the City of Dubuque would
be at 43% of the statutory debt limit. Projections out 10 years to Fiscal Year 2030 show the City
of Dubuque at 22% of the statutory debt limit. This is an improvement on the debt reduction plan
adopted in August 2015, that first began implementation in Fiscal Year 2016.
The following chart shows the amount of retired debt as compared to new debt. The new debt
includes new debt issuances as well as draw downs on existing state revolving fund loans:
Retired Debt Versus New Debt (In Millions)
$25
320.4 S20.7 521.2 521.2
S21.5 521.6 a22.4
E20.0
S20 518.2 518.6
E17.4 S17.1 517.6 S� ^
b 16.4
�, S15 14.3 $16.2 a16.0
c
0
= S13.0
�
$10
59.9
$5
$0
FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30
■ Retired Debt ■ New Debt
New debt is being issued each year, but more debt is being retired than issued.
13
Total Debt (in millions)
Debt is being issued each year,but more is
u'0 being retired than issued.
s�oo
S267
tz� 5236
$261
s� 5226
_,� 5135
_�� FY16 Adopted
s� tFY21 Recommended � � I
� ,
FY16 FY1t FY17 FY1d iY1f FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY2! FY26 FY26 FY27 FY2! FY28 FY30
By FY2030, the City will be at 28% of the statutory debt limit.
Statutory Debt Limit Used (as of June 30)
This chart shows the percentage of statutory debt limit in the Fiscal
Year(FlI)2020 adopted budget.By FY2028,the Cit�will be at 28°6 of
,00x
the statutory debt limit.
•ox
,o,� 7ax
�o% 62�y
� 4�x ux
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� FY16 Adoptsd �'
xo%
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Fru Fr�a Fr» Fru Fr�9 Frxo cr:� Flrn Frzs Frz� Frzs Frts Frr Fvze Frzr Frao
14
Dubuque ranks as the fourth lowest of the use of statutory debt limit of the 11 cities in lowa with
a population over 50,000 and Dubuque is below the average of the other Cities.
Percent of Legal Debt Limit Utilized
so�io
, 67.47°/a 68.16%
70/0 63.87%
60% 56.54%
49.56%51.39°/a51.65%51.65%52.43% �
50% 46.56%
40%
28.40%31.30%
30% 4.37%
20%
10%
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COVID-19 Assistance
The City of Dubuque has been awarded some Federal Assistance such as Federal
Transportation Administration CARES Act Section 5307 Funds for $3,641,599; Community
Development Block Grant Coronavirus Funds for $647,301; Housing and Urban Development
Housing Choice Voucher administrative funds for $112,800; Federal Aviation Administration
CARES Act Airport grant for $1,159,773; Police Federal Bureau of Justice Coronavirus
Emergency Supplemental Funding for $68,679; and Ambulance Public Health and Social
Services Emergency Fund for $44,663.
In addition, Governor Kim Reynolds allocated $125 million to the Local Government Relief Fund
for reimbursements to local governments for direct expenses incurred in response to the COVID-
19 emergency. $100 million for reimbursement will be divided between eligible cities and
counties by 2019 estimated population. $25 million will be used to cover the local government
portion of the FEMA match through the lowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management. The City of Dubuque's allocation is $1,375,656 which will be used to reimburse
25% of Public Health and Public Safety salaries.
The City of Dubuque is also submitting COVID-19 related expenses to FEMA because of the
disaster declaration related to the pandemic.
Due to the estimated size of revenue losses, the City of Dubuque is advocating for federal
assistance to be passed.
Utility Billing Delinquent Balances
In mid-March, the City temporarily suspended water shut-offs related to past due utility bills. Late
fees on past due utility bills are also temporarily suspended and disconnection notices are not
being issued.
15
There are approximately 930 customers with past due utility bills with balances of$125 or more,
in total $607,325. Prior to the pandemic in March 2020, there approximately 800 customers with
past due utility bills with balances of$75 or more for tenants and $125 or more for owners, in
total approximately $300,000.
The following chart compares the past due balances by month for all utility accounts regardless
of the balance for Fiscal Year 2021 (orange line) and Fiscal Year 2022 (blue line):
Past Due UtilityAccount Balances
$700,000.00
$600,000.00
$500,000.00
$400,000.00
$300,000.00
$200,000.00
$100,000.00
$-
����J�JS'� �,��� �o,��t ���� �,������c1 `�ac1 a�c,'� PQ�` �m� ,J��
P��Q�,2 �G�oJQ,O�GO �� ���o �`
FY 2020 FY 2021
Due to the current situation with COVID-19, the City of Dubuque is offering payment plans to
those that qualify to address past due utility account balances of$125 or more. First, each
customer needs to apply for CDBG grant/assistance through the City of Dubuque Housing
Department. This must be done in conjunction with an approved Payment Plan with the City.
Payment plans will be allowed up to 12 months. Customers must make regular monthly
payments of the current charges due in addition to the amount agreed upon in the payment plan.
Payment Plan payments will only apply to charges accrued since March 2020. Any delinquent
charges prior to March 2020 will not be covered by this payment plan.
Letters to delinquent Utility Billing customers for billing routes 1 and 2 were mailed on July 15,
2020 (230 letters). Letters to delinquent Utility Billing customers for billing routes 3 and 4 were
mailed on July 17, 2020 (330 letters), routes 5 and 6 (190 letters) were mailed on July 22, 2020,
and routes 7 and 8 (119 letters) were mailed on July 29, 2020.
There have been two utility customers that have signed agreements for payment plans and three
payment plan applications have been requested and mailed.
In addition, delinquent letters will be mailed to all customers with delinquent balances regardless
of the amount beginning on September 3, 2020. These letters will also mention that there is a
12-month payment plan option and that at a future date utility shut offs and penalties will
resume.
16
The Finance Department and Housing Department are working together to respond to
customers who are interested in payment plans and will also actively reach out to customers
who do not respond.
17
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
All•Mene�City
DuB E ,i i�
I I
2007•2012�2013
Masterpiece on the Mississippi zoi�*zoi9
TO: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
SUBJECT: Criteria for Lifting Face Covering Ordinance
DATE: August 31, 2020
Introduction
This memorandum submits suggested criteria, metrics, and considerations for
determining when the City Council should rescind the face covering ordinance.
Background:
In response to the COVID 19 pandemic and community- wide spread in Dubuque, the
City Council approved an ordinance requiring face coverings under certain conditions in
the city of Dubuque on Aug 6, 2020 which became effective Aug 8, 2020. It was
agreed that at some point, the ordinance would be lifted.
Discussion:
Many cities and communities, businesses and organizations have adopted policies
requiring the wearing of masks and/or face coverings under certain circumstances.
While there are many examples of these policies and ordinances, very few include
provisions for lifting such policies. As we continue monitoring the pandemic locally and
in lowa, we have monitored a variety of inetrics and have created some of our own
utilizing primarily IDPH and census data, including:
• Number of Cases since March 2020
• Epi curve
• 14 day and monthly trend line
• Hospitalizations
• Hospitalization admits in past 24 hours
• Deaths
• Positivity rate: daily & 14- day average
• Positivity rate/100,000 pop
• Testing, including number of tests administered, testing per capita, local
capability and access
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
• Long Term Care facility outbreaks, cases, and deaths
• Recovery rate
• Positive cases by age group
• Pre-K through 12 school positive cases
• Higher Education institution positive cases
• Isolation shelter census
• White House Task Force Reports to the Governor
• Adequate PPE supplies
Other qualitative information that guides our PH IMT planning, response and community
information include:
• Business and Worksite outbreaks
• Contact tracing trends and resource needs
• Health care provider and hospital needs (capacity, staffing, supplies etc.)
• Public health workforce capacity and status
• Feedback from news and social media
• Planning guidance and forecast information from IDPH and CDC
• Information from lowa Governor's, County Board of Supervisors and Dubuque
City Council proclamations
All of this information and metrics are useful in PH IMT response and emergency
declarations. However, assigning qualitative benchmarks for the face covering
ordinance removal is challenging for the mere fact that they all are related and influence
each other and the response to the pandemic.
The most indicative of the pandemic status as it relates to face covering requirements
which would be most helpful are:
Monitoring new infections
• Epi curve decreasing
• 14 day and monthly trend line decreasing
• Positivity rate: daily & 14- day average, including longer trend lines decreasing
• Testing metrics number of tests administered, demand and capacity of testing
through local providers and Testlowa/HHS site
• Decline in number of deaths trendline
Health Care Capacity:
• testing supplies available,
• adequate hospital bed, ICU bed and staffing
Number of outbreaks:
School
Worksite
Long Term Care
Special populations
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Qualitative information to consider
• State and local Emergency Declaration proclamations
• Vaccine availability, distribution, and administration plan for Dubuque county
• Community information gathered through contact tracing, healthcare providers'
capacity, testing supplies, schools etc.
Rescinding the face covering ordinance will also be influenced by vaccine distribution,
administration, and availability within our community.
I do not recommend assigning specific quantitative numbers to any of these metrics, but
instead would evaluate and monitor trends over time periods. These could be reported
during my regular COVID-19 updates to city council, highlighting when there are
significant changes in the measures which may lead to the city council consideration for
rescinding the face covering ordinance.
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
All•Mene�City
DuB E ,i i�
I I
2007•2012�2013
Masterpiece on the Mississippi zoi�*zoi9
TO: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
SUBJECT: lowa Department of Public Health Data Inconsistencies
DATE: September 3, 2020
Introduction
This memorandum discusses information regarding the lowa Department of Public
Health (IDPH) COVID-19 data and reported inconsistencies, along with available local
data.
Background:
Throughout the pandemic, IDPH has provided publicly available data and metrics.
Initially this was available on the IDPH website. After enlistment of the Testlowa
initiative, a new data platform, www.cornoravirus.iowa.gov was established for publicly
accessible data. This site provided more robust data points and has continued to be
upgraded to include more detail on cases, testing and a variety of other metrics at the
state and county level, including metrics specific to assist lowa schools in determining
when to apply for waivers for total virtual learning. In recent months, IDPH and CDC
have modified case definition which caused some of the data to be corrected. Also, the
state discovered inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the data, specifically with timing for
reporting of positive cases.
Discussion:
The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team (IMT) uses many
metrics to monitor and plan for the community, including specific sectors of the
community such as schools, higher education institutions, worksites, long term care
facilities, testing and other sections. Most of the data used in the planning, guidance
and informing, is data collected and released by the IDPH. The IMT has access to some
IDPH data that is confidential and not available to the public, including information
collected through contact tracing, and positive case notification. The IMT also
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
synthesizes some IDPH data differently than is reported on the IDPH website and
makes that information available through daily reports and our city and county websites,
including 14-day and monthly trend lines,
One of the main points of discrepancy in the IDPH data became evident as daily and
14-day positivity rates were published. Local media outlets, county and local health
departments, and other public health professionals reported different positivity rates and
discrepancies in positive cases being reported. These discrepancies and
inconsistencies revolved around several themes:
• IDPH determined the problem was rooted in the data for anyone who was tested
more than once. For example, if a person tested negative in April and was then
tested positive in July, the case was reported as occurring back in April, on the
date of the first test. This had a direct influence on the daily and 14- day average
positivity rates.
• IDPH began reporting "real time" data on its website, beginning in May. Although
this was helpful in accessing the most current information, it presents challenges
in terms of reporting cases and other data by different entities, including the
media and local public health agencies. Point- in -time data reporting will
continue to differ among various media outlets and the IMT, depending on when
the numbers are pulled. Although this doesn't entirely explain the discrepancies
in the IDPH data, it does influence different statistics being reported.
• In August, IDPH again changed how positive cases are reported on the website.
Instead of counting a positive or negative case on the date the test report was
received, the results are reported as positive or negative on the date of the
specimen collection. Therefore, case totals for the current day are likely to
change as test results from specimens collected are assigned to the date when
the specimen was collected. This is not the method of reporting traditionally
used for other communicable diseases.
• In late August, IDPH added antigen (often referred to as rapid) testing to the
positive or negative totals. Previously, antigen tests required confirmation with a
viral (PCR) test. Since the reliability of antigen tests have improved, and the
availability is more wide- spread, these tests no longer require confirmation,
except in certain circumstances.
All of these factors have influenced not only the trend line of positive cases, but also the
daily and 14-day positivity rates.
All schools have been directed to use the IDPH test positivity rates in determining their
ability to continue in person classes. This along with absenteeism rates and other
factors will be submitted to the lowa Department of Education and IDPH if a school
applies for a waiver to the school in-person education requirement.
IDPH has not provided definitive answers to questions we have posed requiring the use
of confidential information obtained by local public health, even with utilizing it in a
anonymized and aggregate format. At a minimum any local data presented for public
access has to assure non identifying information, which is greatly influenced by the
statistical significance and the quantity of various metrics. For example, we cannot
release zip code or race data, if the numbers recorded in those categories are low and
risk identifying specific individuals, addressed, etc.
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
IDPH will be providing additional data and more granular metrics to local public health
agencies to assist with monitoring and planning for COVID -19. Not all of this data will
be publicly available. However, it will greatly improve our ability to plan and respond,
along with advising policy makers.
The IMT includes four individuals from four agencies: City of Dubuque Health Services
Department (Mary Rose Corrigan) Dubuque County Health Department, (Patrice
Lambert) VNA (Stacey Killian) and the Dubuque County Emergency Management
Agency (Tom Berger.) The County Health Department has one temporary staff
assisting, the City Health Services Department has 2 staff providing part time
assistance, and also Randy Gehl, who is vital to the IMT as Public Information Officer,
and the VNA has nursing and allied staff already assigned to COVID and public health
functions. In order to provide primary data collection and analysis along with collating
and evaluating locally available data would require additional staff assistance, planning
and coordinating.
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Health Services Department
City Hall Annex
1300 Main Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Office (563) 589-4181
Fax (563) 589-4299
TTY (563) 589-4193
health@cityofdubuque.org
www.cityofdubuque.org
TO: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
SUBJECT: COVID-19 update
DATE: September 8, 2020
CURRENT INFORMATION
The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management (IMT) team consisting
of City of Dubuque Health Services Department (Mary Rose Corrigan) Dubuque
County Health Department, (Patrice Lambert) VNA (Stacey Killian) and the
Dubuque County Emergency Management Agency (Tom Berger), along with
both hospitals continue in full activation. We are coordinating our response
efforts in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), and with
guidance from CDC via weekly webinars and direct contact with our regional
epidemiologist. Randy Gehl serves as the Public Information (PIO) officer for the
IMT.
As of 3 pm on September 8, 2020, 391 new cases were added to Dubuque
County’s total since I last gave a report to the City Council on Aug 17, 2020. As
of September 8, 2020, Dubuque County has 2225 positive COVID-19 cases. To
date, we’ve had a total of 36 deaths in Dubuque County. Currently, Dubuque
County has 11 COVID-19 Dubuque County patients who are hospitalized. Over
25,500 people have been tested in Dubuque County. About 8.7% of the cases
tested since March have been positive. Yesterday’s positivity rate was 9%. The
current average 14-day positivity rate is 9.4% according to the IDPH. 1710
people or about 77% of Dubuque County positive cases have recovered to date.
This has improved since the 67% rate I reported on Aug 17,2020.
The State has 70,865 cases, up 18,234 from 52,631 positive cases reported on
Aug 17, 2020. About 10.5% of individuals tested statewide continue to be
positive overall. The State’s 14-day average positivity rate is 10.6%, increased
from 7.3% on August 17, 2020. The 18-40 year- old age group continues to have
the greatest number of cases with 49% (Dubuque County is 50%). A total of
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1180 Iowans have died due to COVID-19 illness. Currently, 326 cases are
hospitalized. Over 50,000 or 77% of Iowans have recovered.
In the past few weeks, the state has bounced back up with high numbers of daily
cases, which impacted the Red Zone designation by the White House Task
Force. Citing Iowa as having the highest rate of new cases per 100,000
th
population in the country during the last week of August, and the 5 highest in
the country for test positivity rate, the report was released to Governor’s on
August 30, 2020. On the other hand, the city of Dubuque and Dubuque county
went from being a red zone to a yellow zone based on these statistics locally.
That’s good news for us locally. But even being in the yellow zone does not
allow for any relaxation in restrictions or efforts recommended to limit the spread
of COVID 19. A lot of travel happens within Iowa- especially since colleges and
the three major universities started classes a few weeks ago. This movement
and congregation of students has definitely contributed to the state Red Zone
declaration. We know all schools opening up are affecting and will continue to
affect our local positivity rates.
Community Testing: The TestIowa clinic continues at Epic Health and Wellness
on Cedar Cross Road along with free testing offered at Hartig Drug locations and
Union Family Pharmacy. The test sites are not scheduled at full capacity, which
allows for timely testing of those who need or want a test. Those wanting testing
at these locations must register on the websiteTestIowa.com or
DoINeedACovid19Test.com and receive a voucher number to be eligible to
schedule an appointment for a drive- up test. The local health care provider
clinic and hospital sites also report the demand for testing has waned in recent
weeks, but they continue to test symptomatic, at risk and those patients
undergoing procedures, surgeries or admittance to the hospital. Hospitals must
use rapid test supplies prudently since these are in higher demand and more
difficult to source.
I continue to meet with representatives from major health care providers weekly
to assess their needs and testing capacity. Local testing capacity includes
TestIowa and HHS testing, the physician and health care provider clinics who are
for the most testing according to State Hygienic Lab guidelines and both
hospitals.
The Public Health Incident Management Team is providing additional testing of
individuals identified through contact tracing and referred 173 individuals by the
VNA.
Currently, of Iowa’s 99 counties, Dubuque County has the 8th highest number of people
tested, among Iowa counties.
Contact tracing: The Iowa Department of Public Health is conducting the contact
tracing of positive cases and is hiring their own contact tracers since the Iowa
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National Guard has been relieved of those duties. VNA continues to
phone/contact all new positive cases to provide a local connection and assess
isolation and shelter needs along with testing information.
Long Term Care facility status: Dubuque County currently has no long-term care
facility outbreaks. VNA provides guidance daily to long term care facilities
experiencing positive cases and is currently providing daily follow up to several
LTC/Independent living facilities. New directives from CMS require nursing
homes to test staff on a frequency based on the previous week’s positivity rate.
The current positivity rate of 9.1%, requires routine testing of staff once per week.
Additional testing is required if there is confirmed or symptomatic residents
and/or staff. Long Term Care Facilities are receiving rapid, or point-of -care
machines to allow them to perform the testing at their facilities. LTC facilities in
Dubuque County have not begun phased opening due to the amount of cases
and local trend lines.
Public information efforts created by Public Information Officer Randy Gehl in
conjunction with the public health incident management team continue with daily
updates featuring a variety of COVID-19 metrics. The updates continue to be
emailed or texted directly with more than 1,200 people including all local and
regional media and are also distributed through all the City's social media
channels.
Schools
The Public Health Incident Management team continues to provide guidance and
planning assistance with the county colleges and universities and the K-12
districts. The K-12 schools must use the IDPH 14- day positivity rate posted on
the coronavirus.iowa.gov site as one of the indicators that determines
maintaining in person school attendance. The IDPH and Department of
Education guidance for schools rely heavily on local public health to provide
ongoing data and information, along with advising on exposures, absenteeism,
and many other factors. The IMT meets weekly with preK-12 school
representatives and has developed a COVID-19 manual for schools. The VNA
works closely with the preK-12 schools on notification of positive cases and
starting the contact tracing process as soon as possible, conducting 186 contact
tracing calls to date. Mary Rose Corrigan is the contact for daily, general school
related questions.
The Dubuque County higher education institution representatives also meet
weekly with the IMT. Together, we are striving to develop metric for the colleges
to base their in- person vs virtual learning formats.
Dubuque VNA Continues to operate the public call center for Dubuque County 7
days/week. To date VNA has fielded 17,541 calls/contact from the community. In
addition, they continue to provide thermometers, (1023 total) food assistance and
other human needs referrals. The VNA also provides guidance to childcare
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providers. In addition, the VNA provides daily services for the maintenance of
the isolation shelter, such as cleaning and a check in with residents.
Public Health Mitigation measure enforcement in restaurants and bars- the
Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) and the Alcoholic Beverages
Division (ABD) will be conducting enforcement on social/physical distancing and
other required public health measures for establishments serving food and
alcohol. An on-line portal for citizens to submit concerns and complaints on
specific establishments will be available this week. Once a complaint is received,
DIA and/or ABD will follow up with investigation and enforcement. since
enforcement started on July 30, 2020 158 COVID-19 complaints for the entire
state have been received by between ABD and DIA. We have been notified of
one complaint for the City of Dubuque.
Looking ahead
Vaccine distribution and administration planning. The IMT has received
information and vaccination planning tools from the IDPH. Vaccines will be
distributed from the IDPH to the local public along with retail outlets (i.e.
Walgreens, Walmart etc.) Those clinics wanting to receive and administer
COVID-19 vaccine must sign an IDPH vaccine provider agreement and
document the vaccination in the Immunization Registration Information System
(IRIS)
Continue to focus on to plan for opening and ongoing operation along with other
organizations with providing guidance for when they have a positive case.
Conduct food inspections and assist special events and food stands in meeting
recommended COVID-19 public health measurers.
The Governor’s proclamations continue to require physical distancing for groups,
events, retail and other businesses, along with public health measures in place to
reduce the spread of COVID-19. The reason to continue all these measures is
because the pandemic continues, both in the US and around the world,
especially in light of recent increases in testing. In addition, research continues
on vaccine development, transmissibility of the virus, (including pediatric
transmission) mask use and their effectiveness, risk factors and many other
areas for which we are lacking definitive answers and information. So the
guidance from local, state and national experts will continue change as time goes
on.
What you can do now
Continue to stay home as much as possible and practice physical and social
distancing.
Mask up.
Implement the recommendations from The White House Task Force report; such
as:
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a. Continue to promote social distancing and wearing of cloth face masks when
outside the home, especially in indoor environments and in counties with high
(>100cases/100k population) or increasing case rates.
b. Limit social and other gatherings to fewer than 10 people
c. Specific, detailed guidance on community mitigation measures can be found on
the CDC website.
Assist IDPH contact tracers by “answering the call.”
Encourage citizens to quarantine for 14 days from an exposure to a confirmed or
suspected COVID-19 case. If you are not sure whether you have been exposed,
start quarantining anyway.
Isolate for 10 days if you test positive or have COVID-19 symptoms, including
having improved symptoms and no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever
reducing medications.
Limit trips to grocery stores and for other necessities – for example, once a week
at the most
Utilize curbside pick-up, carry-out and delivery for food and other purchases
Consider your own personal risk factors before venturing to retail stores and
places of business or for personal or recreational services. Risks to consider
include age, underlying and/or chronic health conditions – especially respiratory
and cardiac conditions, diabetes and if you smoke, are obese or live with
Follow the 3 C’s - (clean, cover, contain) and emphasize handwashing- which is
ideal. When handwashing is not available, use hand sanitizer.
Encourage citizens to continue to seek and utilize factual information from the
city of Dubuque, IDPH and CDC websites and postings, being mindful that this is
an ever changing and emerging pandemic.
Do research before traveling- so you are totally prepared for other communities’
risk, and potential illness.
For community groups, plan ahead for events and cancellations.
C:\\Users\\kfirnsta\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\Windows\\INetCache\\Content.Outlook\\GY2WWEYG\\2020.09.08 City Council Update.docx
Health Services Department
City Council Work Session Sept 8, 2020
Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Specialist
-10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
3/10 3/30 4/19 5/9 5/29 6/18 7/8 7/28 8/17 9/6 9/26CASES
DATE
Dubuque County Epi Curve
1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0
1 1
2
1
0
1
2
3
0 0
2
0
1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0
1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1
0 0 0 0
1
2
0 0
2
1
2
0 0 0 0 0 0
2
1 1
0
1
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
3/24/20 3/31/20 4/7/20 4/14/20 4/21/20 4/28/20 5/5/20 5/12/20 5/19/20 5/26/20 6/2/20 6/9/20 6/16/20 6/23/20 6/30/20 7/7/20 7/14/20 7/21/20 7/28/20 8/4/20 8/11/20 8/18/20 8/25/20
Dubuque CO. COVID-19 Deaths
2
8
13
15
22
24
19
12
10
7
Dubuque County COVID-19 Hospitalizations
July 1 -Sept. 1, 2020
7.2%
9.1%
0%
5%
10%
15%
DUBUQUE COUNTY PAST 14-DAY COVID -19 TEST POSITIVITY RATE AVERAGE
(IDPH CALCULATION)
29
25 22
2
34 35
29
20
15
8
13
22
13
18
44
7
11 13
17
21
13
19
9
4
12 14
26 23
15
31
7 10
0
10
20
30
40
50
8/1/20208/2/20208/3/20208/4/20208/5/20208/6/20208/7/20208/8/20208/9/20208/10/20208/11/20208/12/20208/13/20208/14/20208/15/20208/16/20208/17/20208/18/20208/19/20208/20/20208/21/20208/22/20208/23/20208/24/20208/25/20208/26/20208/27/20208/28/20208/29/20208/30/20208/31/20209/1/2020AUG. 1 -SEPT. 1 TRENDLINE OF
NEW COVID-19 CASES IN DUBUQUE COUNTY
Dubuque
589 680
813
2,613
2,002
3,127
1,935
1,105 1,155 1,145 1,162 1,113
967
1,355
JUNE 1-7 JUNE 8-14 JUNE 15-21 JUNE 22-28 JUNE 29-JULY
5
JULY 6-12 JULY 13-19 JULY 20-26 JULY 27-AUG
2
AUG 3-9 AUG 10-16 AUG 17-23 AUG 24-30 AUG 31 -
SEPT 6
Weekly Totals of Dubuque County Residents Tested:
June 1 -Sept. 6
Data Discrepancies
•Positivity rate
•14 day average positivity rate
•Real time reporting
•Date of report vs date of positive test
•Addition of antigen testing and case definition
modifications
14
26
23
15
31
7
10
21
10
38 36
21
26
18
0
10
20
30
40
14-DAY TRENDLINE OF
NEW COVID-19 CASES IN DUBUQUE COUNTY
Questions
WHAT ARE FACE COVERINGS?
Cloth
College of Public Health
Face Shield
A face covering that covers your entire mouth and nose
= “Mask”
Disposable
Flat
Formed
Flat
~$0.2
Formed
~$3
“When used
without a mask,
they should wrap
around the sides
of the wearer’s
face and extend
to below the
chin.”… CDC
What Impacts Compliance and
Behavioral Choices?
Knowledge is necessary, but never sufficient
Understanding Behavioral Motivations (e.g., perceived
severity and susceptibility; values and beliefs)
Community Norms and Peer Group Actions
Policies/Mandates
FACE COVERING ORDINANCE
Effective Aug 8, 2019
Masks required:
Outside whenever one cannot stay at least six feet away from others
Inside any indoor public setting, for example, but not limited to:
o Grocery stores.
o Pharmacies.
o Hardware stores.
o Retail stores.
o Any other indoor public setting when with persons who do not live in
the person’s household.
When using public transportation or a private car service, including taxis,
ride sharing, or carpooling.
COVID-19 PANDEMIC MONITORING
METRICS
Number of Cases since March 2020
Epi curve
14-day and monthly trend line
Hospitalizations
Hospitalization admits in past 24 hours
Deaths
Positivity rate: daily & 14-day average
Positivity rate/100,000 pop
Testing, including number of tests administered, testing per capita,
local capability and access
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
8/2 8/7 8/12 8/17 8/22 8/27 9/1 9/6 9/11CASESDATE
Dubuque County Epi Curve Since Aug 8, 2020
2
5 5 5 5 5 5
8 8
4 4 4
10
121213
1111
8 8 8 8
15
1313
19
22212223242424
1919191919191919
12
1415
1313
15
1010101010 9 9 9 9
7 7 7 7 7 8 9 9
7
9
7 7 7 7
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Reported COVID-19 Hospitalizations
July 1-Sept. 8, 2020
1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 1 1
0
1 1
2
1
0
1
2
3
0 0
2
0
111
0 0 0 0 0
1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1
0 0 0 0
1
2
0 0
2
1
2
0 0 0 0 0 0
2
1 1
0
1
0 0 0 0 0 00
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Dubuque CO. Reported COVID-19 Deaths