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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRap-A-Round Newsletter 10.22.1993The RAP-AmROUND Volume V, October 22, 1993 The City and its organization are people and these people have served the City well. We celebrate the following employment anniversaries which occur during the next two weeks: Four Years MICHAEL WHITEHEAD Patrol Services Two Years MONNIE MONTGOMERY Wastewater Distribution GUS BARON Wastewater Distribution One Year JUAN TORREZ Pump Maintenance INS AND OUTS City Of Georgetown Welcome Georgetown The City is lucky to have three new patrol officers on the force. Rob Newell comes' to us from the Department of Public Safety. Rob is an Eagle Scout with a Bronze Palm. He has a basic open water scuba license and an associates degree in Criminal Justice. Rob enjoys hunting, fishing and as a hobby raises salt water fish in an aquarium at home. Fred Pitcher worked at Motorola before joining the Georgetown Police Force. He and his wife, Tempest, have two cats, Jennifer and Kohler. The last new officer is Carl A Leihardt. His previous employer was McCoy's Building Supplies. Carl is married (Mary Beth is his wife's name) and enjoys water skiing, hunting and golf. We welcome a familiar face back to the legal department; Sheree Rabe. Sheree worked in the legal department on a temporary basis in the past and has been hired as Assistant City Attorney. Sheree comes to us from the law firm of Boyle & Bender in Austin, where she has been working in rate regulation before the Public Utilities Commission. Sheree has also been self-employed and practiced in the areas of employment, criminal .law & dispute resolution and has prior experience with the Third Court of Appeals, Texas Education Agency and the City of Coppell. Sheree is a member of the Texas State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Additionally, Sheree participates in the Austin chapter of the American Inn of Court. The American Inn of Court is an invitation only organization, developed to foster a more ethical and humane environment in the practice of litigation. The Austin Inn of Court meets monthly Welcome Georgetown The City is lucky to have three new patrol officers on the force. Rob Newell comes' to us from the Department of Public Safety. Rob is an Eagle Scout with a Bronze Palm. He has a basic open water scuba license and an associates degree in Criminal Justice. Rob enjoys hunting, fishing and as a hobby raises salt water fish in an aquarium at home. Fred Pitcher worked at Motorola before joining the Georgetown Police Force. He and his wife, Tempest, have two cats, Jennifer and Kohler. The last new officer is Carl A Leihardt. His previous employer was McCoy's Building Supplies. Carl is married (Mary Beth is his wife's name) and enjoys water skiing, hunting and golf. We welcome a familiar face back to the legal department; Sheree Rabe. Sheree worked in the legal department on a temporary basis in the past and has been hired as Assistant City Attorney. Sheree comes to us from the law firm of Boyle & Bender in Austin, where she has been working in rate regulation before the Public Utilities Commission. Sheree has also been self-employed and practiced in the areas of employment, criminal .law & dispute resolution and has prior experience with the Third Court of Appeals, Texas Education Agency and the City of Coppell. Sheree is a member of the Texas State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Additionally, Sheree participates in the Austin chapter of the American Inn of Court. The American Inn of Court is an invitation only organization, developed to foster a more ethical and humane environment in the practice of litigation. The Austin Inn of Court meets monthly and provides an excellent opportunity for training by the most well -regarded judges, law firm partners and attorneys in Texas. We are sure Sheree's varied experience and friendly personality will be an asset to the legal department, as well as the entire City. Goodby Rich Vigni, of the Building Inspection department is leaving the City October 27. Rich and his family are moving to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. In Nevada, Rich will be working on the other end of construction, as a contractor rather than inspector. We at the City will miss Rich and wish him the best of luck in this move. Good News for Part Time Employees "Thanks for your good work and dedication" The new 1993-1994 fiscal year heralds some positive changes for the City's regular part time employees. Beginning in October, to be reflected on the second paycheck in November, regular part time employees will receive paid vacation and sick leave. These benefits will be earned on a schedule based on the average hours worked per year. The City's part time employees fill positions which are critical to providing a wide range of quality services in the customer friendly style to which the Georgetown Community has become accustomed. The City Manager and the City Council recognize the dedication of our part time workers and are committed to providing them with fair and competitive benefits. The Benefits Committee recommended that pro -rated vacation and sick leave benefits would be a very appropriate way to say to all regular part time employees, "thanks for your good work and dedication". If you are a regular (non -temporary, non -seasonal) part time employee, you will soon be receiving detailed information explaining your new benefits. Good News for Full lime Employees WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR BENEFIT ALLOWANCE? Our current benefit allowance of $1,572.00 per year ($131.00 per month) originated as a health insurance premium subsidy-- a way to give all regular full time employees extra money to help pay their portion of the cost of health insurance for any additional spouse, child or full family coverage. Starting with the first. pay check in November, the benefit allowance of $1,572 per year will be rolled into the salary of all regular full time employees. The benefit allowance will become a permanent part of each regular full time employee's salary. The City will, of course, still pay the full cost of each regular full time employees's individual health insurance. The City will continue to subsidize full family coverage-- that is the City pays a portion of the health insurance premium, above the cost of individual employee coverage, for full family coverage. WHY IS ROLLING THE BENEFIT ALLOWANCE INTO SALARY A GOOD THING TO DO? * When the current benefit allowance becomes part of permanent salary, it cannot be taken away. Adding the benefit allowance to each regular full time employee's salary will permanently increase the salary by $1,572.00 per year, which is $60.46 per pay period. * This will give you a higher salary figure when applying for loans, when filling out apartment or credit applications, and in other similar situations. * All future pay increases figured on a percentage of salary will be applied to the full amount of salary, which will now include the benefit allowance. RAP -A -ROUND 10/22/93 Page 2 WHAT WILL THIS MEAN TO YOUR PAYCHECK? The $1,572.00 benefit allowance (which you now see as $13-1 00 on the first pay stub of each month) will be added to total salary and divided evenly over our 26 bi-weekly pay periods. This comes out to $60.46 per pay period. QUESTIONS? We encourage you to call Pattie Justice, Teresa Hersh, or Melba Hensley with any questions you may have. Pattie can be reached in the Payroll Department at extension 3680. Teresa and Melba can be reached in the Human Resources Department at extension 3639. BULLETIN BOARD Help Wanted... Part time Recreation Assistant, Parks & Recreation Division. Position open until October 29, 1993. On -call Receptionist/General Office Clerk, Management Services Division. Position open until filled. Part time Library Page, Library Services, Community Services Division. Position open until Friday, November 5, 1993. Part time Library Assistant - Circulation, Library Services, Community Services Division. Position open until Friday, November 5, 1993. Pump Mechanic I, Community Owned Utilities Division. Position open until Friday, November 5, 1993. Part time Library Assistant - Acquisitions, Library Services, Community Services Division. Position open until Monday, October 25, 1993. Part time Housing - Rehabilitation Coordinator, Management Services Division. Position open until filled. Letter to the Editor Special thanks to all of you, you know who you are, who helped make this year's City Picnic a huge success. The support and dedication shown was very much appreciated. The thank you notes have been very special and your consideration is valued by all of us. It was great to, see' such a huge turnout. This picnic was for you, to show that the City appreciates you and all the hard work you do everyday. Thanks again! The 1993 Picnic Committee Needs Home Five month old dalmatian puppy (half grown), female, has had all shots and regular wormings. Beautiful, healthy dog with a gentle disposition. Needs a home with a fence (likes to travel). Contact Laurie Brewer if interested, 3547. For Sale 1983 Buick LeSabre fully loaded, 47,000 miles, one owner. Call Barbara Raney, 3682. Portable Whirlpool dishwasher. 2-years old, like new, butcher block top. $250. Contact Bill Zimmerhanzel after 5 at 863-2741. Upcoming Events Wesley Fest 1993 at University Avenue & Church Street. November 6 from 9:00 - 4:00 and November 7 from 12:00 - 5:00. Enjoy local artisans, baked RAP -A -ROUND 10/22/93 Page 3 goods, antiques & collectibles, food booth, entertainment and the Famous WESLEY BEST PICKLES. DEPARTMENT UPDATES City -Wide Wow, what a picnic!!! Perfect weather, great food and lots of fun. It was terrific to see so many people gathered for the City Picnic and having a good time. Boy, Community Owned Utilities cleaned the clock of the Police Department in the softball game. Watch out next year, COU. We found out who could and couldn't play volleyball. Participants put their sincere efforts into winning and all had a great time. We found out who could blow a bubble with gum the fastest. Ed Barry, for all of you who missed it or were laughing to hard to notice. The kids' maze was pretty neat. Some adults were caught trying to go through, too. The couples events were pretty interesting, also. Many learned how funny (to the spectators) and difficult (to the participants) passing a bucket over your head could be. We are all hoping to be able to get together again next year for this outstanding event. Development Services Building Codes The regulation of building construction is not a recent phenomenon. It can be traced through recorded history for over 4000 years. This provides evidence that people have become increasingly aware of their ability to avoid the catastrophic consequences of building construction failures. In early America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson encouraged the development of building regulations to provide for minimum standards that would ensure health and safety. Today, most of the United States is covered by a network of modern building regulations ranging in coverage from fire and structural safety to health, security and conservation of energy. Public safety is not -the only by-product afforded by modern codes. Architects, engineers, contractors and others in the building community can take advantage of the latest technological advances accommodated in these codes with resultant savings to the consumer. For codes to be effective, an understanding and cooperative relationship must exist between building officials and the • groups whom they serve -- homeowners, developers, urban planners and designers, as well as other echelons of the construction industry. Codes must therefore be responsive to government's need to protect the public. They must provide due process for all affected and they must keep pace with a rapidly changing technology which gives birth to innovative ideas. The inability of communities individually to provide such a code process is understandable, but collectively these communities can work together to develop and maintain codes. This approach has given birth to the model code system. During the early 1900's, model building codes were authored by the code enforcement officials of various communities with key assistance from all segments of the building industry. Model codes have now become the central regulatory basis for the administration of building regulatory programs in cities, counties and states throughout the United States. They simply represent a collective undertaking which shares the cost of code development and maintenance while ensuring uniformity of regulations so that � the advantages of technology can be optimized. Building safety code enforcement has historically been accomplished by defraying the costs of administration through a system of fees relating to a specific project -- a system which is self-supporting. These fees are generally less than one percent of the overall cost of the building project. Public protection is thus obtained in a cost-effective manner with the entire process, RAP -A -ROUND 10/22/93 Page 4 from plan review to field inspection, carried out in a professional manner. The system is so well developed that the true complexity of the process is obscure to many. APA Conference Ed Barry, Leane Heldenfels and Tristan Ashby of the Development Services Division attended the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference in Houston last week. They attended various workshops and classes covering many aspects of the Planning field. On Friday of the Conference, the APA Awards Luncheon was held. Chief Planner, Hildy Kingma, City Council members, Doris Curl and Lupe Carranco, and Mayor Leo Wood joined Ed, Leane and Tristan in accepting the Community of the Year award for Georgetown. Congratulations go to Hildy Kingma who has been elected as the new Director -Elect of the Central Texas Section of the Texas APA. This two year term of office demands dedication, organization and hard work. With Hildy's proven capabilities in all areas of Planning, we know the right person was elected to this office! Information Services ASCII Basics of Word Processing Part II Last time we talked about one of the basic differences between the typewriter and a word processor. We also provided some guidelines which are summarized below. Do not use the return or enter key to move the cursor to a new line, unless, 1 . You are at the end of the paragraph, or 2. Your sentence is less than one line long. This time we will look at -tabs and indents, - two _of the_ most common formatting tools. A tab, on a typewriter, allows the typewriter to provide you with a point at which you can align text on the page. The paper is advanced to a predetermined point called a "tab stop" or just a "stop". By having preset tab stops, the user can create columns at various points. A typewriter allows you to add, delete and change tab stops at most any point on the page. There are three basic types of tabs stops; left, right and center align. The difference is on which side the text is, aligned. All typewriters have left align capabilities. Some of the newer electronic typewriters and all word processors have all three. An example of each type of tab stop is listed below Left Align This is a test. This is another test. 2. Right Align This is a test. This is another test. 3. Center Align This is a test. This is another test. The power of the word processor comes from the fact that you may have many different sets of tab stops in a document. With a typewriter, you had to manually reset the tabs stops as you went through a document each time. With a word processor, each set of tab stops become a permanent part of the document, so you have no problem recreating the same settings. This also allows you to create templates that can be used over and over again. While there are only minor differences between typewriters and word processors on tab stops, there are major differences on indentions. The biggest difference is that on a word processor, you do almost no work. There are several styles of indentions listed below. i RAP -A -ROUND 10/22/93 Page 5 1. Single line indent This is a test of the American Broadcasting System. This is only a test. If this were an actually emergency, you would be informed where to turn for news and information. 2. Indent (Whole paragraph) This is a test of the American Broadcasting System. This is only a test. If this were an actually emergency, you would be informed where to turn for news and information. 3. Double indent This is a test of the American Broadcasting System. This is only a test. If this were an actually emergency, you would be informed where to turn for news and information. 4. Hanging indent This is a test of the American Broadcasting System. This is only a test. If this were an actually emergency, you would be informed where to turn for news and information. With a word processor, each style of indenting is accomplished through a single, different command. If you were to try this on a typewriter, you would have to manually align all the lines in each paragraph. The word processor automatically adjusts the spacing and location of the text to provide perfect alignment for you. In summary, word processors and typewriters use tab stops in a similar fashion, except that the word processor can do more with them. With indents, a word processor offers many more choices and easier ways to use those choices than a typewriter does. Remember, follow the guidelines for paragraphs when using indented paragraphs on a word processor. These differences and features covered in the last two articles are just some basic differences between word processors an typewriters. A word processor offers greater flexibility and additional features that would not be possible on a typewriter. Always remember that some typing rules do not apply to a word processor. Good computing! Community Owned Utilities Team Work Rewarded "Crew of the Week" in the Water/Wastewater Departments of Community Owned Utilities is: Week of October 11 -15 Bart Bowden & Ted Martinez Each week a "Crew of the Week" is selected from the 2 man crew members in the department. To qualify as "Winners" the crew must have demonstrated proper, neat dress; friendly attitude toward fellow employees as well as customers in the field; practiced "Safety First" during job performance; properly cleaned vehicles to represent the City; and completed a high number of work orders. We commend these crew members for their efforts in promoting pride and accomplishment in their jobs. Good Thinking In the evening, turn your worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway. (Quote by Mary C. Crow►ey.Copied from Office Hwn) REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Joanna Brandon, Jeff Clausius, Stephanie Crenshaw, Leon Henderson, Kathy Ragsdale and Penny Thomas. Please submit ads or articles you would like in the newsletter to Joanna Brandon BY 5:00 the Tuesday before payroll. ,IP;p �� �S Y � RAP -A -ROUND 10/22/93 Page 6 Georgetown Parks &Recreation HAUNTED EHOUSE. ANTAKSHOP I�,r¢,� �aar�led �ouac '714do(rri 2/�, ��i3 '!�,s eyes �ar.�e a fivrrl�fe �rs o�tm�fer �orrr merry, zh czeels are Are rarer, ,rs ,lore llze a czerrfr �. Ze as a roaol-/ace am' - a frffle rorrno��ef�y f�af ,rf!-aver mll-en �e faay�s Sponsored by Georgetown Parks & Recreation so For more information call Donna at 930-3595 (ML-: 3V 2A DD WE PLACE A VERY WGH PRIORIV ON HAVING OUR CUSTOMER SERR/ICE DEPARTMENT BE A 51100 H, EFFICIENT OPERATION. �SJ W HEN PEOPLE COMPLAINED ACOUr OUR TELEPHONE LINE 'BEIN(a BUSY All--THE.TIME, WE TOOK PROMPT MEASURES TO AUEgtATE THE PROALEM: WE GCSE AN AN UNUSVED NUMBER. Schedule of Ey. ents October 1993 ** Georgetown Parks & Recreation ** 930-3595 ** 6 r 24 W Alf ?�" ems,-- Y.A.C. Hau ted Housa r"�-'�:x 8 PM Mldnl ht :.. Y.A.C. Haunted Hous~Midnight Oct, 29th & 30th November 1993 *Georgetown Parks & Recreation ** 930-3595 **