Dec. 17, 2020

City to close facilities, limit public access to others due to COVID-19

The City of Johnson City on Thursday announced the temporary closure of most City facilities with the exception of the tax/utility payment lobby and Municipal Court at City Hall and Johnson City Juvenile Court. The closures will go into effect Friday, Dec. 18 until further notice. All departments will remain fully operational and continue to provide services to City residents and businesses through online transactions, email and by telephone.

Screening measures, including temperature checks, will remain in place at City Hall and Johnson City Juvenile Court. Visitors to these areas are required to wear masks and follow posted signage, which may include directions on how to access the building, where to wait, and directional signage.

“The health and safety of our staff and community continue to be of the utmost importance,” said City Manager Pete Peterson. “Due to the extreme increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths as a result of COVID-19, and to minimize our employees’ and guests’ exposure to the virus, it has become necessary to take these additional precautions to limit in-person contact.”

Taxes and Utility Payments

The tax/utility payment lobby will remain open but citizens are asked to conduct business via phone or online when possible. Property taxes may be mailed, paid online or by phone. Online and autodraft options are available for customers to make payments on utility bills. More information about online payments can be found at www.johnsoncitytn.org/payments. To pay property taxes by phone, please call 877-768-5048. To pay utility bills by phone, please call 877-768-5046. The night depository located at City Hall is also available.

New Water and Sewer Services customers should call 423-461-1640 to sign up for service with a credit card.

Development Services Applications

All building, trades, sign permits and planning applications should be applied for online through the CityView Portal, https://jc-cityviewweb.johnsoncitytn.org/CityViewPortal/. Online applications are preferred but physical documents will be accepted at the dropbox in the vestibule at the rear of City Hall.

Trade permits (that do not require a plan review) can be issued over the phone with a credit card payment by calling 423-434-6047. For questions related to the CityView online Permit Portal, contact Adrienne Brown at 423-434-5845 or abrown@johnsoncitytn.org. For the Planning Division, call 423-434-6074 or planning@johnsoncitytn.org. Permit inspection requests should be done by email, inspections@johnsoncitytn.org, or by calling 423-434-6047, and selecting option 1 to leave a voice message request.

Police Department Records

Information normally available in person at the Police Records Unit located inside City Hall can be obtained through other methods. Individuals may call 423-434-6160 and select option 2 or send an email to JCPDRecords@johnsnoncitytn.org. Documents intended for the records unit or municipal court can be photographed or scanned and attached to the email.

Fines may be paid at https://www.paymyfineonline.com/ or by mailing a check or money order to Police Records, P.O. Box 2150, Johnson City, TN 37605.

Traffic crash reports are available at http://www.crashdocs.org five to seven days following the incident at no cost. Reports may be available sooner from the State of Tennessee at https://apps.tn.gov/purchasetncrash/ for a fee of $10.

Parks and Recreation

Memorial Park Community Center, Johnson City Senior Center, Carver Recreation Center, Langston Centre, the Winged Deer Park Administrative Office and the Parks and Recreation Athletic Office will remain closed until further notice. In addition, Johnson City Parks and Recreation will not begin accepting pavilion rental reservations until March 1.

Freedom Hall Pool will remain open by reservation only for lap swimming. Lap swim is limited to one person per lane with swimmers able to reserve a maximum of three sessions per week, each for 45 minutes. Lane entry/will be staggered. Restroom access will be limited to one person at a time and no locker room access will be available. Swimmers should come in their bathing suit ready to swim and be prepared to dry off and leave the facility immediately following their scheduled swim session. Screening measures, including temperature checks, will be in place. For more information or to reserve a swim session, please call 423-461-4872.

As a reminder, all parks as well as tennis, pickleball and volleyball courts are open, as is Pine Oaks Golf Course. Guidelines for all facilities will be posted, and adherence is mandatory.

Other City Facilities

The following will remain closed until further notice:

• Transit lobby
• Purchasing Department — Call 423-975-2715 for additional information
• Solid Waste — Call 423-975-2792 for additional information

“The City of Johnson City is committed to the provision of uninterrupted essential services for our citizens,” said Peterson. “These closures and limited access are one way we can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the community. We highly encourage our citizens and area businesses to examine changes they can make to their behavior and/or business models that would further help to minimize the spread in our area. This is a very dire time and we all need to take personal responsibility for our actions during the pandemic.”

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