Playground equipment at Pacana Park is closed through other recreational areas at the park remain open. Photo by Raquel Hendrickson

In city parks, playground equipment will be blocked off and restrooms will be closed. Maricopa Public Library will no longer provide curbside delivery of books.

For City Hall, those are the main impacts of Gov. Doug Ducey’s “Stay Home” pronouncement Monday to fight COVID-19. Maricopa government was already hunkered down, with some employees working at home and some on rotation fulfilling essential jobs.

City Manager Rick Horst said staff did not want to give people a reason to congregate in one area or leave their homes for non-essential reasons, which will necessitate the closing of playgrounds.

“The fields are still open,” he said.

The City is also working out methods to conduct public meetings and meet the legal standard while also “maintaining distancing protocols.”

Horst said all on staff are being productive, even in Community Services, a department that usually tends to be more hands-on, or at least physical. Library staff members are creating videos and recreation staff are making exercise programs to help residents break up the “at-home” monotony.

Enough staff is available for essential tasks such as maintaining permits, paying bills and, especially, keeping the public safe. If City Hall should close, Horst said, it could cause other businesses to shut down, specifically those in the development process.

The City will end its temporary curbside book delivery at Maricopa Public Library to meet the newest state mandate for residents to “Stay home.” Photo by Kyle Norby

Some employees who would otherwise be at work have opted to take personal time and sick leave.

Furloughing employees is not likely, the city manager said. Though there has been talk of reducing hours at City Hall, there has been such a “flexibility of need,” with some constituents needing service in the morning while others need help in the afternoon, that it has been difficult to come to a different schedule that would still serve everyone.

Horst expects the financial impact of the coronavirus to be “very deep but very brief” compared to the recession a decade ago. He has confidence the City has been very prudent with its “rainy-day” funds, enough to ride out the economic fallout.

And, for once, not having a lot of retail shops may work in Maricopa’s favor, he said. Arizona’s retail sales are expected to be most strongly hit by the “Stay Home” policy. In February, retail comprised 24% of Maricopa’s sales-tax collections, an avenue of revenue for the City. By contrast, retail was 35% of Casa Grande’s collections, 39% of Chandler’s and 47% of Mesa’s.

The fiscal year ends June 30.

“We have been so prudent with expenditures, even if revenues fall short, we wouldn’t be in difficulties,” he said.