Mayor Bob Gatt has declared a State of Emergency for the City of Novi, which will aid in our ability to tap into outside resources as needed, and ease the process to receive any federal reimbursement. 

Transcript of Mayor Gatt's video message:
Hello Novi, for those who might not know me, I am Bob Gatt, your Novi mayor.
 
On behalf of my city council colleagues, and our City of Novi staff team, I want to assure you that our Novi is as safe, secure, and protected as possible during this challenging time of COVID-19.
 
Until we understand the full picture of the disease, and the best responses to it, we must follow the broad preventative measures as directed by our president, governor, and public health officials.
 
We had to make the extremely difficult decision to close our municipal facilities to the public, and cancel beloved and important community events and programming. These hard choices are made out of an abundance of caution to protect you, our Novi family.
 
We also want you to know that the City of Novi has an extremely organized and competent emergency operations team staffed with well trained professionals meeting daily to monitor all levels of government to maintain the city at the most current and highest of response levels.
 
While our city was already covered by Oakland County's declaration of a local state of emergency, we have reviewed the totality of the circumstances, and concluded that a city declaration of a state of emergency is in order. This will aid in our ability to tap into outside resources, and ease the process to receive any possible federal reimbursement for costs incurred.
 
I acknowledge that the events of the past few weeks have been disconcerting to many. But I urge all Novi residents to remain calm, and follow the advice of health experts.
 
We have plans in place to ensure that we can continue delivering critical and essential city services, and I am confident that we will get through this situation together, and come out stronger as a community.
 
We have created the page on the city's website, cityofnovi.org, dedicated to keeping you informed about the impact COVID-19 has on our community. You can find it easily on the home page. The page is updated regularly with accurate information regarding city services you rely upon.
 
Again, I ask you all to help us by following the guidelines, rules, and recommendations that the city, county, state, and federal governments issue. These are the best directives to keep you safe, and to limit the impacts of COVID-19.
 
I thank you for your trust in our efforts to protect our community, and know that you will do your part to ensure the health and safety of our Novi.
 
May God bless you, and protect you from this crisis.
 
Thank you.