Kent County Communicator - Employee Newsletter September 2023

We had 41 new colleagues join the Kent County team since last month. We are excited for them to join us and take the first steps in their Kent County careers. If you see a new face in the hallway, please stop and say "hi" and introduce yourself.

Voluntary Life Insurance

We have a special opportunity with the Voluntary Life Insurance Enrollment. Employees can enroll in up to 100,000 worth of Voluntary Life Insurance coverage and not have to undergo the insurance company’s approval (underwriting) process.

New York Life (formerly known as CIGNA) will automatically approve new or increased coverage up to $100,000 worth of Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance coverage. Requests for coverage over $100,000 will still need to be approved by the New York Life.  This opportunity is only available during the upcoming Open Enrollment in October 2023.

This opportunity is for the Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance which is paid by the employee. It would be over and above the $50,000 Life Insurance paid by Kent County for full-time employees.   The rates are based on age and amount of coverage. 

Here’s a link to a simple cost calculator: https://www.accesskent.com/Benefits/pdf/Life_Insurance_Rates_Calculator.xlsx

If you are interested in increasing your supplemental life insurance coverage, please be sure to indicate the amount of coverage you would like to have on the Open Enrollment form you complete in October.

Retirement Tools

The recent transition of the 457(b) plan to Empower has given Employees access to a wide array of online tools to help plan for a prosperous retirement. Participants can choose to link other investment accounts within the Empower dashboard to give a more complete picture of where their financial plan has room for growth. Full utilization of Empower's available tools will help you plan for retirement. Kent County has a designated Retirement Plan Advisor through Empower, Willie Berry, who is available to help navigate through the resources available to participants. Willie is available for one-on-one meetings, both in-person and virtually. To schedule an appointment, click here https://kent-county-dcp.empowermytime.com/#/. If you have any questions or need assistance, our dedicated Retirement Services team is here to help guide you at KCRetirement@kentcountymi.gov

Disney Way: 3 Day Creating a Customer-Centric Culture Training

If you have not signed up for the Disney Way Creating a Customer-Centric Culture Training, please sign up today!

We encourage you to sign-up for different sessions on the Kent County LMS website than your co-workers so you can meet and collaborate with employees in other departments.

There are two sessions still available for sign-up for the remainder of 2023. An additional six sessions will be added in early 2024: these dates/times will be announced in a future Communicator.

Office of Inclusion

Advance your CQ!

In 2017, Kent County Leadership, alongside the Cultural Insight Council, rolled out Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to all county staff. All staff are required to attend an “Intro to CQ Workshop,” and for some it may have been years ago and for others it was during their recent new employee orientation. Your level of CQ can change over time and be improved. If you’re intrested in advancing your CQ, check out the updated intranet site featuring CQ information, resources and more.

Cultural Intelligence - CQ (sharepoint.com)

Another addition to the County’s CQ commitment is the Cultural Intelligence Center “Managing Bias” workshops. If you haven’t already attended one of these workshops, please look for 2024 dates once the new Learning and Development classes are listed.

Health Department

SepticSmart Week 2023: September 18-22, 2023

There are currently challenges across the country due to improperly maintained or failing septic systems for many homeowners, local environmental groups, county health departments and local governments. The EPA’s SepticSmart program provides materials and resources to increase homeowner education on septic systems and promote awareness in caring for them. SepticSmart Week is an annual event that occurs the third week of September. Communities, local groups, and state governments bring attention to the importance of caring for and maintaining septic systems by organizing homeowner education events, sponsoring workshops, or sharing social media from the SepticSmart program. For more information on SepticSmart Week 2023, visit SepticSmart Week | US EPA or Do your part and be SepticSmart! (michigan.gov).

 Food Safety Month

September is recognized by the FDA as National Food Safety Month and encourages consumers to educate themselves on food borne illness and the steps that can be taken to prevent it. Food safety involves farmers, manufacturers, delivery drivers, restaurant chefs, home cooks, and everyone between. Take an active role in preventing food borne illness in your household by washing your hands and produce thoroughly, separating raw animal foods (ex. raw chicken or eggs) from ready to eat foods (ex. Apples) and using separate utensils for each, cooking foods to the appropriate temperatures, and cooling leftovers properly. Even when out to eat, minimize your risk by paying special attention to items that may be served undercooked or raw, and cooling leftovers properly. These steps, in combination with food safety practices from every level of the food industry, significantly decrease your risk for food borne illness. For more information on National Food Safety Month and additional ways to decrease your risk, visit Food Safety Education Month | FDA or Food Safety Home Page | CDC.

Treasurer’s Office

Kudos to Treasurer’s Office Staff!

Over the past three years, the Kent County Treasurer’s Office has focused their efforts on keeping people in their homes. And as a result, Kent County’s property tax foreclosure rate is at a record low with 2023 having the lowest number of foreclosures in 15 years, with only 13.

This is important because our county experiencing a housing crisis and keeping residents in their homes helps alleviate the issue. The Treasurer's Office has expanded outreach and foreclosure prevention efforts by developing bi-lingual promotional materials, making personal visits to properties, offering hardship extensions, developing community relationships, and providing sound payment plans with property owners.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing property tax delinquency or forfeiture, contact the Kent County Treasurer's office at 616-632-7500.

63^rd District Court

On Friday September 1st, 63^rd District Court  kicked off National Recovery Month by hosting a celebration for Recovery Court participants and other members of the community.  They had the food truck, Sober Eats available, had yard games and karaoke, provided resource tables including The Sheriff's Office, the Health Department, Alano North Club and Families Against Narcotics. Recovery Court currently has 26 participants with the first ones being accepted in June 2022.

Help is just a couple of clicks away. The Employee Assistance Program (Encompass), provides secure and confidential assistance with mental, financial, professional, and physical wellbeing for all Kent County employees and so much more. Click here to log-in and use our organization’s code to login: kentco.

Free Well-Being Webinars

High-energy, live weekly webinars provide inspiration and motivation to help you improve your well-being. Click here for a list of wellness webinars.