Post Date: 03/13/2020 5:00 PM

His first actions are to suspend Water Service Disconnections and Sheriff Sale Filings; Mayor also Suspends Public Programming at the City’s Community Center

Mayor Mike Purzycki today announced that he has signed an Executive Order activating his authority under a City state of emergency to take action to protect the residents of Wilmington when there is a risk to the citizenry due to a pending or active emergency. The Executive Order is available at this link . The broad authority granted to a Mayor of Wilmington during an emergency has been used previously because of weather-related incidents such as snowstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes.



The Mayor said his first actions are to suspend indefinitely water service disconnections as well as to delay until further notice the filing of Sheriff Sale monitions. Both processes are used to discourage delinquencies in payments for utility services and other government fees. The Mayor today also suspended all public programming at the William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center on Madison Street beginning at 6 p.m. tonight until further notice.



“I ask all citizens to take care of each other and be mindful of their own actions,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We want everyone to stay safe from the effects of the coronavirus and not to contribute to the spread of the virus,” said the Mayor. “All of us in public service around the state are taking our guidance from Governor John Carney and his excellent team of health care and emergency management experts, who are providing valuable information. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency and I urge all City residents and businesses to follow the directives. We are all working together to get through this.”



The Mayor said his actions today regarding Sheriff Sales and water service disconnections are necessary to allay any additional concerns for those who may have extra financial burdens in these uncertain economic times. Mayor Purzycki said because Wilmington does not have a health office and does not have health care professionals on staff, it is reassuring to know that the health needs of Wilmington are part of the state’s continuing efforts. Finally, the Mayor thanked Christiana Care for providing the first drive-through coronavirus testing site earlier today in Wilmington.

COMMUNITY AND MEDIA INQUIRIES :

John Rago

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications

Mobile: (302) 420-7928

Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov