NE Dallas News

Rowlett City Council held a virtual meeting on April 7 to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and what the city is currently doing and planning to do.

The Rowlett Lakeshore Times reported that while state parks and historic sites across Texas are closed, city-owned parks are still open and that Gov. Greg Abbott has not asked cities to close local parks yet.

Mayor Tammy Dana-Bashian told the news agency that while the municipal parks are open, things like playground equipment and exercise equipment are not.

"Our public parks are open, but please maintain social distancing when you’re in those parks and please don’t play basketball," Dana-Bashian told the news agency. "It’s a contact sport that is very high-risk."

The city has issued multiple city orders since the pandemic hit the state. Dana-Bashian said the orders concur with Dallas County orders. The council agreed during the meeting to allow Dana-Bashian to incorporate the latest version of the Dallas County orders for the city, the news agency reported.

The city has extended its disaster declaration through the end of the month and all public facilities are closed to the public, the news agency reported. Senior programs have also been canceled through the end of the month and nonessential travel for city employees was also suspended.

The news agency reported that municipal court dockets have been deferred through the end of the month and any employees that begin to feel sick are instructed to stay home.

The news agency reported that utility companies are not suspending accounts for nonpayment and have suspended late fees, as well as suspending code enforcement citations.

“We’re not issuing citations right now unless it’s just a really egregious situation,” City Manager Brian Funderburk told the news agency. “We’re just trying to remind people that the grass still needs to be cut and the trash needs to be taken out and picked up.”