A message from George Naughton, Acting Chief Operating Officer and DAS Director

Have you ever heard co-workers approaching retirement complain it was going to take three months to receive their first retirement check? Three months?! That’s a long time and many of us can’t afford to pull that off. The good news, now you don’t have to. Working with PERS, the wait time was cut in half.

A 2013 internal audit identified several issues including a backlog of work on members’ PERS accounts. To solve the problem, leadership from PERS and DAS’ Enterprise Goods & Services division worked together to improve processes in both agencies. As we did this work, we discovered that building a better relationship between our teams was as important as process improvement, possibly more so.

Both agencies now understand each team’s needs and work quickly to resolve issues as they arise. The backlog of work has been dramatically reduced and staff interactions are more productive. Now the average time for a retiree to receive that first retirement check is 45 days. This leap in efficiency is the result of great work by staff at PERS and the newly strengthened partnership between PERS and DAS. 

It sounds simple, but it’s true. Working together solves our problems, enhancing productivity and effectiveness. DAS sends a big thank-you to PERS for being willing to spend time building a stronger working relationship that benefits us all.

-George 

The Customer Utility Board that oversees DAS’ delivery of technology services recently approved creation of a technology advisory council designed to ensure quality thinking and well-constructed recommendations for decision-makers.

The new council will provide a consistent forum for state government to explore and fully consider the range of issues that support shared technology services and data-center governance.

Membership of the new council includes the chief information officers of the agencies that purchase technology services from DAS’ Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) division and ETS leadership. The council will meet monthly.

For more information, contact John Koreski at 503-378-2176.

Following a rash of near misses, the Salem Motor Pool on Airport Road has installed additional signs to help drivers enter and exit the fuel pump islands correctly and safely. Drivers can refer to this map for guidance.

DAS asks agencies to share this reminder through employee intranets, newsletters or email, to help get the word out: Watch for one-way signs at the Salem Motor Pool, especially when refueling. Allow a few minutes of extra time on your next Motor Pool trip so you can enter and exit safely. 

Questions? Call Fleet & Parking Services, 503-378-4377.

Beginning July 1, the city of Salem will no longer allow free parking for publicly-owned, E-plate vehicles. This change applies to city meters and other paid parking spots offered by the city of Salem. 

The city’s parking staff are currently issuing warnings to drivers who park E-plate vehicles at city parking spots without paying for parking; beginning July 1 they will issue citations.