WAUKESHA COUNTY LARGE GATHERING RECOMMENDATION INCREASES TO 100 PEOPLE (Updated 6/4/20)

(WAUKESHA, WI) – On Thursday, June 04, 2020, Waukesha County Public Health expanded its large gathering recommendation to advise that up to 100 people may congregate in a social setting in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The previous recommendation advised that groups of up to 50 people could gather.

“Waukesha County is taking a measured approach to reopening so that we can stay safe to stay open,” said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. “The decision to increase the large gathering recommendation is based on a methodical course of action knowing that positive cases in Waukesha County have remained stable, hospitals can safely treat all patients in the area, testing capacity has dramatically increased, and our team of public health nurses and contact tracers are growing.”

Waukesha County’s large gathering recommendation advises that social settings of more than 100 people be avoided, with social distancing and other mitigation practices in place. All individuals, when in public, at county parks, outdoor recreation areas, or at shopping malls or similar locations should consider maximizing physical distance from others. The large gathering guidance has been issued as a recommendation, rather than an order, to allow residents to safely conduct business and other activities moving forward. The recommendation provides industries with flexibility to resume operations while being mindful of CDC recommendations.

Waukesha County will reevaluate its large gathering recommendation toward the end of June. The recommended number of people that should socially gather may either increase or decrease based upon the status of area hospitals and other data. In the case of a dramatic increase in cases of COVID-19 in the county, or the inability of area hospitals to care for patients in need of treatment, the county may be forced to issue orders to help reduce the spread of the disease.

Information about Waukesha County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic may be found on the county’s website www.waukeshacounty.gov/COVID19 and on social media accounts. Waukesha County is also offering resources for businesses and residents to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the “Stay Safe to Stay Open” campaign. More information is available at www.waukeshacounty.gov/safeopen.

You may follow County Executive Farrow on Twitter at  @WaukeshaCoExec and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CountyExecutivePaulFarrow/. 

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HHW COLLECTION SITES RE-OPEN JUNE 1ST (Updated 5/27/20):

The Waukesha County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Sites will reopen on June 1, 2020.

The schedule will be as follows:

MENOMONEE FALLS
Veolia Environmental Services
W124 N9451 Boundary Road
(124th Street)
Open Year-Round (January – December)
Every Monday and Wednesday
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WAUKESHA
City Incinerator Building
900 Sentry Drive
(North of Sunset Drive, East of the Fox River)
Open February - March & November
2nd Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon
Open April – October
2nd and 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon

FRANKLIN
Veolia Environmental Services
10518 South 124th Street
Open February – September
2nd and 4th Saturdays
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(Site permanently closing after September 2020. Last day of collection will be 9-26-20.)

Please note there are new safety measures in place in an effort to keep both staff and residents safe:

• Residents MUST stay in their cars at all times.

• Residents must show proof of residency through the car
window.

• All items need to be in the trunk – staff will not open up back
seat doors to collect material.

• Material should be in a box or container for easy collection.
This box will not be returned (only gas cans will be returned
to residents).

Collection staff will also be wearing N-95 masks. They are expecting potentially longer wait times, although they have requested extra staff from the vendor due to these new protocols, so please be aware that it may take longer to unload individual cars. Please consider visiting a site at “off peak” times, such as week days at the Menomonee Falls site.

Any questions please contact Waukesha County Recycling at 262-896-8300 or visit www.waukeshacounty.gov/hazardouswaste

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PARK & REC UPDATE (Updated 5/15/20)

Park & Rec Director Mike Zolecki has been in contact with North Prairie and the Town Of Mukwonago Rec Departments on how things will look going forward.  We have agreed that time is still needed before decisions are made.   More data, more insight, more time before we jump into something that could cause more harm than enjoyment.   So at this time we are working on best practices, looking at what the county issues, while remaining in a holding pattern.   Thank you for your continued patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.  

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IT AIN'T HEAVY....IT'S MY BULK PICK-UP! ADVANCE DISPOSAL RESUMES SERVICE (Updated 5/15/20):

We are happy to announce that beginning Monday, May 18, Advanced Disposal will be resuming large item collection.   We certainly appreciate your patience and understanding as the State navigated these unprecedented times.  As a company, Advanced Disposal, will still be taking the recommended steps provided by the CDC and state/local health departments to help keep its employees and customers safe.  

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STATEMENT FROM WAUKESHA COUNTY EXECUTIVE PAUL FARROW AFTER WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN “SAFER AT HOME” ORDER EXTENSION (Updated 5/15/20):

VIEW:  Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow Statement

CORONAVIRUS SCAM PREVENTION TIPS (Updated 5/11/20):

Question: How do you report coronavirus scams and robocalls?
ANSWER: To report scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you should visit www.ftc.gov/complaint or call 1-800-FTC-HELP. For more helpful links, please visit our U.S. Representative Bryan Steil's website www.steil.house.gov/coronavirus-updates.

Question: When will the IRS Economic Impact Payments be made? 
ANSWER: The IRS is continuing to distribute economic impact payments through 2020. Eligible taxpayers who filed tax returns for 2019 or 2018 will receive the payments automatically. Automatic payments are going to those receiving Social Security retirement, or disability (SSDI), and Railroad Retirement benefits. Recipients of SSI and Veterans Affairs or survivor benefits should receive their payments by mid-May. For more information, please visit https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment-frequently-asked-questions for updates.

The IRS urges taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams related to the Economic Impact Payments. To use the new app or get information, taxpayers should visit IRS.gov. People should watch out for scams using email, phone calls or texts related to the payments. Be careful and cautious: The IRS will not send unsolicited electronic communications asking people to open attachments, visit a website or share personal or financial information. Remember, go directly and solely to IRS.gov for official information.

Question: What are some tips to avoid scams related to economic impact payments?
ANSWER: The FTC lays out four points to help you avoid scams related to your economic impact payment:

• Only use irs.gov/coronavirus to submit information to the IRS – and never in response to a call, text, or email.
• The IRS won’t contact you by phone, email, text message, or social media with information about your stimulus payment, or to ask you for your Social Security number, bank account, or government benefits debit card account number. Anyone who does is a scammer phishing for your information.
• You don’t have to pay to get your stimulus money.
• The IRS won’t tell you to deposit your stimulus check then send them money back because they paid you more than they owed you. That’s a fake check scam.

Question: I want to make a donation to a charity during the pandemic. What are warning signs I should pay attention to? 
ANSWER: Scammers will use email to con people into donating to fake fundraisers. Here are some helpful tips from Wisconsin AARP:

• Watch for common sounding names
• Utilize BBB’s Give.org to verify charity before making a donation.
• Be wary of GoFundMe requests. Ask yourself: do you know the person and can you verify the cause is legitimate?
• Watch out for name similarities.
• Review the website carefully.
• Avoid on-the-spot donation decisions from unfamiliar organizations.

VERNON ANNUAL MEETING POSTED TO JULY 21, 2020 (4/17/20):

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Vernon's Annual Meeting Postponed to July 21, 2020 - 7pm.

Carl Fortner, Vernon Town Chairman, has postponed Vernon's Annual Meeting scheduled for Tuesday April 21, 2020, to Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at 7pm pursuant to Section 19 of Wisconsin Act 185, which took effect on April 17, 2020. 

View: Announcement

GOOD NEWS! SPRING BRUSH PICK-UP HAS BEEN RE-INSTATED (4/17/20):

FREE Spring Brush Pick-Up will go on as planned!  We ask that you please social distance yourself from DPW personnel when they are collecting brush at your residence. Thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times.  

SPRING 2020 · FREE · Brush Pick-Up
Week 1: May 4th thru May 8th: ALL of Center Drive and EAST of Center Drive
Week 2: May 11th thru May 15th: WEST of Center Drive

Please Note: Brush pick-up is for typical tree trimming and NOT major tree-removal or property clearing, if the Town determines that your brush exceeds normal practices, it will refuse pick-up. Please use a professional tree service for tree-removal/property clearing debris.

For efficient service and safety reasons, we ask that you please follow these guidelines:

• Have all branches at the roadside the Sunday before the scheduled date.
• Brush must be no larger than six (6) inches in diameter and no longer than 12 feet.
• Place brush near the edge of the road
• Please do not spread out the brush
• The bundles must be stacked near the edge of the road with the larges diameter facing towards the road.
• There is a time limitation of 20 minutes per household.
• Unfortunately, if you do not have your brush at roadside when we do go through, we are unable to come back.
• Please keep in mind weather conditions (ie. snow) may result in a delay of service