Y O U R C I T Y . Y O U R N E W S . M A R C H 2 0 1 4

TAKE5

Page 2CTR Survey Coming Soon

Page 3Eco-Champ Elliott Barnett

Page 7Flex Spending Deadline

IN THIS ISSUE

Page 2BUZZWORTHY

Page 4PERSONAL TOUCH

Page 5KUDOS

Page 7OUT ON THE TOWN HEALTH + WELLNESS

Page 8CITY EXCHANGE CELEBRATIONS

CONTENTS

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Join the conversation on Twitter at #SOTC253 surrounding

Mayor Marilyn Strickland’s State of the City Address

on March 19, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. The event will

be recorded and replayed by TV Tacoma starting March 20.

TAKE5 MARCH 20142

APRIL

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NEWSBUZZWORTHY...Required Training21 New Employee Orientation

TMB 1444 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

22 Domestic Violence Policy Awareness* TMB 1444 9 - 9:30 a.m.

Discrimination/Sexual Harassment Prevention TMB 1444 9:30 a.m. - Noon

Cultural Awareness TMB 1444 1 - 4:30 p.m.

Computer Training8 govME Level 1

TMB 1530 8:25 a.m. - Noon

9 Access 2010 Level 1 TMB 1530 8:25 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

10 Excel 2010 Level 2 TMB 1530 8:25 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

16 Word 2010 Level 1 TPU Computer Training Room 8:25am-4:30pm

17 Excel 2010 Level 1 TPU Computer Training Room 8:25 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

22 govME Level 2 TMB 1530 8:25 a.m. - Noon

23 Visio 2010 Level 1 TMB 1530 8:25 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

24 Outlook 2010 Level 1 TMB 1530 8:25 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Occasionally, training schedules are revised. For the latest information, please view the Human Resources Department’s intranet site.

SURVEY COMING SOON IF YOU REPORT TO A ‘CTR-AFFECTED’ WORKSITECommute Trip Reduction (CTR) is a law passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1991 calling on employers to encourage their workers to drive alone less often, reduce carbon emissions and keep the busiest commute routes flowing. A worksite is considered to be “CTR-affected” if it has 100 or more full-time employees reporting to work between the hours of 6 and 9 a.m. There are four worksites that are CTR-affected at the City of Tacoma: the Tacoma Municipal Building complex, which includes TMB and TMB North, Tacoma Public Utilities, Environmental Services’ Solid Waste facility and the Center for Urban Waters.

If you report to any of the listed worksites listed above, you will soon receive information from your Employee Transportation Coordinator about an upcoming CTR survey.

CITY OF TACOMA JOBSFor the latest City of Tacoma job postings, and to submit an application, visit cityoftacoma.org/jobs. Occasionally, closing dates are revised. For additional assistance, call (253) 591-5400, Ext. 1.

LATEST CYBER SECURITY NEWSLETTER EMPHASIZES

THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA BACKUPS

Find out why it is so important to back up critical information. Read the latest

Cyber Security Newsletter.

NEW E-FLYER REPOSITORY ON GNETAn e-flyer repository is now available on Gnet as a way for the Media and Communications Office to share PDF flyers about City or community sponsored activities that have educational, civic, recreational or cultural value for you, the City employee. Posting flyers electronically conserves resources and saves costs, while also preserving the beauty of the historic Tacoma Municipal Building complex. The e-flyer repository has replaced elevator bulletin boards in the Tacoma Municipal Building and Tacoma Municipal Building North. Flyers and announcements posted to the e-flyer repository will be arranged by general topic and archived after the information presented has expired. Flyers must be submitted to mco@cityoftacoma.org in PDF format for consideration before posting.

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NEWSBUZZWORTHY...GET TO KNOW AN ECO-CHAMPELLIOTT BARNETT Associate Planner Planning and Development Services  At Work: Planning and Development Services plays an integral role to our organization’s sustainable policies and projects. In his role with the City, Elliott has had the professional opportunity to participate in the STAR-certification effort, support the Prairie Line Trail, develop Complete Streets guidelines, and advance open spaces protection. 

At Home: Elliott enjoys participating in his local community, including shopping at farmer’s markets and supporting local farmers, which has the effect of making regional agriculture economically viable thereby preserving undeveloped lands. His wife also grows a lot of their veggies in her own garden. Also under consideration is a home chicken coop.

Most Fun: Elliott’s able to ride his bike to work, dropping his kids off at school via a cargo bike along the way. Getting outside and exercising with his kids every day, plus showing them that life doesn’t have to be built around car time, is one of the greatest pleasures that living close to his office has to offer.

Guilty Pleasure:  Travel and transportation. As a two-car household (which includes an electric vehicle) that indulges in yearly air travel to a warm, tropical location, Elliott’s quick to point out that their family still has a lot of carbon emission work to do.

Philosophy: Elliott would like to build his life so that a high quality of life and low environmental footprint go hand-in-hand. How exactly one does that across all lifestyle aspects is a work in progress, but he’s started where these areas intersect and is progressing on from there.

Got an Eco-Champ to highlight? Email Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability Manager Kristin Lynett at kristin.lynett@cityoftacoma.org.

ALL SAP ROLES CURRENTLY BEING EVALUATEDIn response to a recent financial audit finding, Information Technology

has been working with SAP role assignment approvers across all City of Tacoma departments to evaluate current SAP role assignments, and to

ensure that the City follows preferred IT practices. 

Some users may have their current SAP roles removed due to the sensitivity of data they have access to; the need to revise their current level of authorization to either display, change or delete SAP records; if a conflict between roles exists; or if someone does not meet the required criteria for a role.  IT will notify users if there are any changes that impact them. Contact Laurie Mayfield at (253) 382-2602 with questions.

TIPS FOR EATING RIGHT IN 2014Download the 2014 food and nutrition handout at EatRight.org (Search bar: “2014 Health Tips”) — it has smart eating tips and time-saving food ideas to improve nutritional balance, create healthy snacks for kids, plan meals better, and feel less confused about food. Did you know that families that eat meals together tend to eat more healthfully? You’ll love the handout’s “Banish Brown Bag Boredom” section and its many links to other resources. Stop wondering what to prepare for meals,

school lunches, and more.

Source: First Choice Health Employee Newsletter

TACOMA DOME INTERNS LEARN ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Tacoma Dome interns often aspire to work in the entertainment industry when they graduate from college. These interns, (L-R) Taylor Zamora, Michelle Thulin and Rochelle Larican, were able to experience what it’s like to work a major event like the Miley Cyrus concert last month.

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NEWSBUZZWORTHY...PERSONAL TOUCH

PERS

ONAL

EMPLOYEES APPROVED FOR DONATED LEAVE

Lee Walston Environmental Services

Tiffany Bestwick Finance

Stephanie Peterson Information Technology

Troy Ihlen Public Works

Janet McQuade Public Works

Coral Singletary Public Works

Paul Howard Tacoma Fire Department

Megan Buck Tacoma Public Utilities

Donald Carroll Tacoma Public Utilities

Brett Copeland Tacoma Public Utilities

Eric Green Tacoma Public Utilities

Douglas Johnson Tacoma Public Utilities

Buck Murphy Tacoma Public Utilities

If you wish to donate leave, please contact your timekeeper or Human Resources, (253) 591-5400, for a Sick Leave/Paid Time Off Donation Form.

Q: Is it appropriate to refer employees to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) when they have complaints about each other? When attempting to resolve complaints, I often find that they are complicated, are exacerbated by personality factors, and involve issues that extend beyond the workplace.

A: It is expected that supervisors will mediate disputes between coworkers, but this presumes the conflicts are work related. Resolving disputes can mean personally sitting down to help iron things out, requiring employees to resolve issues on their own, or using approved resources within the organization to get the job done. Seeking help from the EAP is appropriate, especially if you quickly discover that the conflict has multiple parts beyond work-related matters. EAPs are experts at sorting things out and analyzing complicated conflicts. Often, resolving conflict includes interventions with the problem at more than one level. An example would be helping an employee with a medical problem, anxiety, or other troublesome issue contributing to the conflict. Frequently, visible issues such as bickering, fighting over shared space, and disrespectful behavior have less visible contributing factors. Trying to resolve conflicts without involving these other dimensions becomes an exercise in futility and may enable their continuation.

You can access EAP at (800) 777-4114 or FirstChoiceEAP.com.

Source: First Choice Health Employee Newsletter

SUPERVISOR TIP

CATCH AN ALL NEW EDITION OF TACOMA REPORT IN MARCHJoin the City of Tacoma’s newest TV news host Anita Gallagher as Public Works Division Manager Rae Bailey and Police Detective Burt Hayes explain street light wire theft; Urban Forester Ramie Pierce talks about the Hilltop Diversitree program; TacomaFIRST Customer Support Center Manager La’Toya Mason provides the latest on the services her staff provides online, over the phone and in person; Tacoma Public Utilities provides billing assistance information and more.

Tacoma Report is available on tvtacoma.com, Channel 12 for residents within Tacoma city limits and Channel 21 for residents in greater Pierce County. For complete TV listings check with your local cable provider.

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NEWSBUZZWORTHY...CITY OF TACOMA WILL SOON SHIFT COMMERCIAL AND MERCHANT BANKCARD ACCOUNTS TO WELLS FARGOFollowing a comprehensive procurement process, the City has recently started along the path toward a conversion of its commercial banking accounts and merchant bankcard accounts from Bank of America (“B of A”) to Wells Fargo. In anticipation of the changes related to this transition, we thought it might be helpful to outline certain processes and relationships which in some cases may (or may not) look different to City staff, management, customers, vendors and others involved in the City’s banking processes.

To start, the transition from B of A to Wells Fargo will NOT:• Change employee paychecks/automatic

deposits, (other than the fact that, upon conversion, payment will flow through Wells Fargo versus B of A);

• Involve the City’s purchasing card program, which is administered through U.S. Bank;

• Affect the City’s relationships with Trust Commerce, PayPal, Authorize.net, PayPro, or other gateway vendors utilized in credit card processing; nor

• Immediately terminate the services the City receives from B of A. Rather, parallel service will be provided for a period of time until the City is satisfied that the preponderance of checks and charges written against B of A have cleared and the City is satisfied that the conversion has been successfully completed.

The banking transition WILL:• Provide the opportunity to examine current processes with a goal towards increasing

efficiencies and incorporating technological advances;• Require modifications to funds delivery instructions (for customer/vendor payments, etc.);• Involve replacement bank supplies and stock (i.e. deposit slips, endorsement stamps, etc.);• Encompass a change from B of A’s Cash Pro web portal to Wells Fargo’s Commercial

Electronic Office (‘CEO”); and• Necessitate modifications to SAP banking interfaces.

While the above summary is not intended to be a complete list of anticipated changes, it may be helpful in setting expectations. A team made up of City staff and Wells Fargo treasury and

KUDOS

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TO

GO! GREAT

JOB!GREATJOB!

CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE EMPLOYEE GRATEFUL FOR SUPPORT FROM FINANCE COLLEAGUESKudos from City Clerk’s Office Assistant Linnea Meredith in the City Attorney’s Office to Christopher Piercy and Beth Brown in the Finance Department’s Payroll Division for their excellent service and quick response. The City Clerk’s Office needed an updated list of employees to send out the Civil Service Board Election notices and they responded within an hour. “They are always quick to respond and we appreciate their help,” said Linnea.

IT EMPLOYEE CONTINUES TO TAKE CARE OF HIS CUSTOMERSKudos from Teresa Dent in Human Resources to Tim Shaw in Information Technology for his continued commitment to good customer service. “I would like to give a big hand for Tim Shaw who not only provides good customer service, but did a very good job with a smile today,” said Teresa. “Even though communication to him was not as good as we should have given for a computer move, he jumped in and took care of me and my employee at Tacoma Public Utilities today. He is a fine employee and we really appreciate his work.”

...continued on next page

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NEWSBUZZWORTHY...merchant card specialists are conducting meetings with affected departments to explain the conversion process, answer questions, assess needs, listen to suggested modifications, provide training and test systems.

As we move forward in the process, we will continue to send out communications including progress updates, important event notices, and critical date identification. Depending upon your involvement with the banking process, you may be asked to complete specific tasks, and be provided with firm deadlines, to assist in the successful completion of this project.

Please feel free to call either Teresa Sedmak at (253) 591-5841 or Michael San Soucie (253) 591-5088 with any questions or concerns you may have in this regard.

Commercial and Merchant Bankcard Accounts – continued from page 5

DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE THREE DEPARTMENTS ON THE 4TH FLOOR OF TMB? There have been several staff changes so here’s the scoop:

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

Kurtis D. Kingsolver, Director

Jeffrey A. Jenkins, Assistant Director

Jodi Davila, Office Manager

Jodi joined the City in 1997 and worked in the City Attorney’s Office as a legal assistant and later as a paralegal. In 2007, she became an Administrative Assistant supporting the IT Director/Assistant City Manager. Jodi joined the City Manager’s Office in 2008 where she has supported the Deputy City Manager, Assistant City Manager and Assistant to the City Manager. Prior to joining the City, Jodi worked for 19 years in the private sector as a paralegal with an emphasis in civil law. Jodi is now the Office Manager for the Public Works Department.

Reid Bennion, Management Analyst II

Reid attended Willamette University where he majored in Economics, then attended the University of Washington to get his master’s degree in Public Affairs. After graduate school, he started his career at the City of Tacoma in the City Manager’s Office as a Management Fellow. He has been working in the Public Works Director’s Office since July, and was appointed Management Analyst for the Public Works Department in January.

Marisa Tetreault, Administrative Assistant

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Peter Huffman, Director

Michelle Regan, Office Manager

Allison Davis, Accountant

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Michael P. Slevin III, Director

John O’Loughlin, Assistant Director

Amanda Borchers, Office Manager

NEW!

NEW!

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OUT ON THE TOWN

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE TACOMA DOMEMARCH March 6 - 8 WIAA Hardwood Classic Basketball March 15 and 16 Professional Bull RidersMarch 27 Educator Career FairMarch 29 and 30 Tacoma Wedding ExpoAPRIL April 5 and 6 Nuclear CowboyzApril 12 George StraitApril 26 and 27 Tacoma Dome Gun ShowMAYMay 9 - 11 Puget Sound Health and Fitness ExpoMay 9 - 11 Sesame Street Live

For more information please visit tacomadome.org.

Check out the special events calendar for more information on other upcoming events around Tacoma.

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FLEXIBLE SPENDING DEADLINE FOR INCURRING HEALTH-RELATED EXPENSES IS MARCH 15Did you participate in the City’s 2013 flexible spending plan? If you

have the funds available in your flexible spending account, you have until March 15, 2014, to incur health-related expenses. Please note that

this grace period only applies to health-related expenses. It does not apply to dependent care expenses. The deadline for incurring dependent care expenses remains at Dec. 31, 2013.

Claims for either health-related or dependent care expenses must be submitted by April 30, 2014.

Contact a benefits specialist for a copy of the claim form, or download the PDF version. If you have questions about claiming flexible spending funds, contact

Benefit Staff at at Benefits@cityoftacoma.org or call (253) 573-2345.

You can view your year-to-date contribution history by registering with Trusteed Plans. Go to https://benefits.trusteedplans.com and use Group #45000 to create a new account. Contact Trusteed Plans’ customer service line at (253) 564-5611x210 if you

have questions regarding eligible claims, or view a list of eligible medical expenses here.

BE WELLHEALTH + WELLNESS

SUPPORT FOR BEREAVEMENT IN THE WORKPLACEIt’s a myth that only those who have “been there” can help bereaved persons suffering with grief over the loss of a loved one. This myth adds to the confusion associated with helping grief-stricken people. Grief is difficult to comprehend if you haven’t experienced it, but you can take steps to understand it better and be a supportive and “in tune” coworker. Grief is a natural, normal reaction to a serious loss of any kind. The nature of profound loss affects the entire being physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. Overcoming grief is accomplished in waves; it stops and starts, and it often feels like three steps forward for every two steps back, or worse. Recovery from grief is as unique as a fingerprint, because we are all different. One’s life experiences, psychology, environment, and health all play a role in the recovery process. A roller coaster of emotions plays a key role throughout the grief process. You will not be able to say something that “fixes” grief or elevates a person out of it. “Being there” and patience are the two most valuable gifts you can offer a grief-stricken coworker.

Learn about grief in the workplace at compassionatefriends.org. In the search field, type “employee.” The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help. Call (800) 777-4114 or go to FirstChoiceEAP.com

Source: First Choice Health Employee Newsletter

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CONGRATS!CELEBRATIONS

PUBLIC ASSEMBLY FACILITIES EMPLOYEE EARNS SCHOLARSHIP TO THE ACADEMY FOR VENUE SAFETY AND SECURITYJeff Brown, event coordinator for the Tacoma Dome

and the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, was selected to receive a scholarship to

the Academy for Venue Safety and Security Conference in Dallas, Texas.

It involved five days of intensive training in security planning and life safety management, and his colleagues look forward to implementing the knowledge he gained to continue the department’s commitment to excellence in safety and security practices.

EXCHANGE

CITY

Would you like to see the great things your

department is doing highlighted in Take5? Have workplace tips, kudos, fun

stories and more that you’d like to share with your fellow employees? Submit content for the

April 2014 issue of Take5 by March 17 at 10 a.m. to take5@cityoftacoma.org.

If you have general comments, questions or suggestions about Take5, contact Maria Lee

in the Media and Communications Office at maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org or

(253) 591-2054.

WE

WANT T

O HEAR FROM YOU!

PUBLIC ASSEMBLY FACILITIES DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS HOWARD TURNER RETIRES AFTER 30+ YEARS OF SERVICEThe Tacoma Dome hadn’t even opened its doors when Howard Turner started working for Public Assembly Facilities. He is an accomplished singer and musician in his own right, so his colleagues chipped in to purchase a Martin Backpacker “traveler’s” guitar for his future musical journey.

NEED SOME CHAIRS?Anne Michael-Smith has a large red chair without arms, and a regular-sized blue chair with arms. For more information, contact Anne at amichael@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5193. Or, stop by her desk at the Tacoma Municipal Building (Room 836).

For full details about items available through City Exchange, please visit the Green Team site at gnet/greenteam, go to “Waste Reduction,” then “City Exchange.” Contact the Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability at sustainability@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 502-2223 if you would

like to add or remove items from the list.