(Lethbridge News Now)

By Connor Gunn

COVID-19 brings changes to spring and summer services in Lethbridge

May 15, 2020 | 11:58 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB- Lethbridge will likely be seeing substantial changes around the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

City officials are telling residents to be patient regarding things like potholes not being filled right away, the grass getting a bit longer in public spaces, cancelled sewer maintenance calls, and longer wait times.

Officials say because we are going through a challenging time right now, it will be harder to perform what normally would be easy tasks. Part of this is due to staff shortages and also the attention to detail around the city is changed while they focus on the larger problems at hand.

Due to COVID-19, there have been approximately 300 temporary workforce reductions. The city says this will help to reduce the number of people working at one time.

“By modifying our workforce and following all public health legislation, our crews in public operations have had to prioritize tasks differently and change the way they do their work,” says Jody Meli, Interim City Manager.

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“We are asking for the public to be patient as we continue to keep our resources focused on critical and essential services during the provincial public health emergency while doing what we can to also exercise fiscal responsibility,”

Meli adds the lower priority services will have to wait.

“By making these changes to some of our non-essential services, we can be fiscally responsible and still ensure the safety of our staff and the community we serve,” says Meli.

“I know these changes may inconvenience some of our residents but we are constantly evaluating the level of services we can safely provide.”

The city says residents are encouraged to call 311 if they have questions or would like to submit a service request.