National League of Cities Responds to COVID-19

As we continue to grapple with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our communities, I want to provide you with an update on the ways that the National League of Cities is working to support you during this unprecedented time.

NLC has set up a coronavirus response page on our website with the latest resources and news to help you make the best decisions for your community (www.nlc.org/covid19). You will find updates on federal guidance and support, state resources from the state municipal leagues, content and updates from our partners, and other information to help you with local preparedness and response. Later this week, NLC will also begin a regular email newsletter with the latest information and tools to support your efforts locally.

NLC has released a survey to learn about your local conditions so that we can best represent and serve you during this time. Please complete this short survey by Thursday, March 19, so that we can understand what steps your community has already taken, how things are going and what critical challenges remain.

NLC is in constant communication with the Administration and Congressional leaders to advocate for the needs of cities, towns and villages during this public health crisis. We know that a strong local-federal partnership is crucial now more than ever as you make life-saving decisions for your community members. As Congress moves forward with a stimulus package, we are working to ensure the needs of local communities are front and center. Earlier this week in a detailed letter, NLC urged Congressional leaders to quickly and efficiently direct federal funding to the local level. We hope you will join us in calling on all Members of Congress and the Administration to support this effort. If you have any questions about our advocacy efforts, please contact our team at advocacy@nlc.org. You can also sign up for our Federal Advocacy Action Alerts for timely updates and information.

NLC has postponed, modified, or cancelled all in-person events through May 15, and is currently assessing those scheduled after that date. Our goal is to prevent the risk that NLC members and our staff contract or inadvertently contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. Our team will follow up with additional information as it is available.

NLC has implemented staff telework from Monday, March 16, through Tuesday, March 31. We made this decision in order to mitigate the spread of the virus and ensure we are participating in appropriate social distancing. We do not anticipate this impacting our normal, day-to-day operations, since NLC is a remote work-ready organization with staff members located across the United States. You can reach out to our staff members by email or phone, and we will do our best to respond to you quickly.

NLC has notified all attendees at the Congressional City Conference of two individuals at the event who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. If you or a colleague attended CCC and have any questions or concerns, please contact questions@nlc.org.

At this time of great uncertainty, the National League of Cities will continue to invest in member services and work tirelessly on your behalf. We must stand strong together, support one another, and address each challenge hour by hour, and day by day. We will practice compassion, flexibility, and patience, and I hope that you will do the same.

Sincerely,
Clarence E. Anthony
CEO and Executive Director
National League of Cities