Black History Committee Hosts Stellar Celebration and Provides Scholarships to Local Students

Last Saturday, the UG Black History Committee hosted it 32nd Annual Black History and Scholarship Celebration at Memorial Hall in downtown KCK. Over 170 guests gathered to celebrate African Americans and the Arts. This event showcased amazing local entertainment from TyJanea Hooks, bass guitarist John Hudson and live art in motion from Feliz Kehinde. Keynote speaker Dr. Natasha Hampton empowered attendees to continue to be the change they want to see.

During the event Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins (pictured right) was honored with the High Heel Trailblazer award for her many years of leadership and dedication to the Unified Government, as well as being the first African American Female Assistant County Administrator. Congratulations!

A special thanks goes to the many volunteers, table sponsors and corporate donors that helped make this event a huge success. Interested in getting involved? The Black History Committee is always recruiting new members! Apply here.

TODAY is the Voter Registration Deadline for the Presidential Preference Primary

On Tuesday, March 19, the State of Kansas will conduct a Presidential Preference Primary as required by the Kansas legislature. This is an alternative to a caucus. It is a “preference” primary because it is an election where the vote totals are given to a political party to allocate delegates to candidates at the national convention. This is not a primary where the voters select the party candidate.

In Kansas, it is a function of the state political parties to allocate delegates to presidential candidates at each party’s national convention to select each party’s presidential nominee. Such delegates are chosen via caucus or convention by the political parties. This year, the state legislature decided to resurrect the state-run presidential preference primary, which had only been used in Kansas in 1980 and 1992.

This is a one-time presidential preference primary, should the Kansas legislature choose to have another presidential preference primary in four years this would take an act of the legislature. Be sure to register to vote by TODAY, Tuesday, February 20 so you can participate in next month's presidential preference primary!

Share Your Updates

Strategic Communications manages our general social media channels, DotteNews, UGTV, building monitors, and other communication channels. If your department is hosting an upcoming event, has a change in services, or would like to update the community with general information, please submit your information as soon as possible here. We also want to hear your team updates - awards, promotions, announcements - so feel free to submit them through our form. Help us share your good news and information!

2022 Audits Complete

The Finance Department is pleased to announce that the 2022 audit is complete and the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and Popular Annual Financial Report are available on the UG website. Congratulations to the team for finishing this work!

Why Recycling Matters

From reducing landfill waste to conserving energy, discover the multitude of reasons why recycling is a pivotal component of responsible waste management. In just a few minutes, this video provides a comprehensive overview of the recycling process, highlighting its environmental benefits and showcasing the transformative power of repurposing materials.

Join us in our commitment to a greener, more sustainable future through the practice of responsible recycling. Have questions? Please reach out to Solid Waste Manager Diana Jimenez.

Sheriff's Office to Host Citizens Academy this Saturday

Dive into the world of the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office this Saturday, February 24 during their first-ever Citizens' Academy. Learn about the mechanics of the department and get some valuable insight on their services to our community. For more information, contact Captain Michael Kroening at 913-573-8071 or mkroening@wycosheriff.org

Good to Know: Update to Wyandotte County Public Health Services

The Wyandotte County Public Health Department is now offering walk-ins for select health services on Fridays from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Services include:

• Birth control
• Well-woman exams
• STI testing and treatment
• Immunizations
• Treatment for skin conditions
• Treatment for ear, nose, and throat symptoms
• Pre-employment physicals
• And more!

Additionally, we offer free condoms and free Narcan (naloxone) every day in our lobby. Visit us at 619 Ann Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101.

Workday logins from December 2023 to January 2024 increased by 118% due to the transition to Workday for all payroll processes, absence requests and time entries. The UG has completed three full payroll cycles for both sworn and civilian pay schedules. At the end of the third cycle, the stats are impressive:

• 18,734 time entries completed
• 10,068 employee absence requests
• 825 employee absence corrections

Overall, there have been minimal data issues reported. All UG employees are encouraged to check their personal information and time-off banks in Workday and report any data issues through the Help Desk.

Training and Support

Workday training and support resources are still available! Check out the Workday FAQ and training websites. Access the Job Aids (instruction sheets) in Workday Drive. Register for trainings or view training videos in the Learning App. Since December 2023, there have been 3,131 training registrations using the Learning App; 820 training attendees; and 680 employees have completed a digital training course.

Attention Supervisors and Senior Managers

Your role in Workday processes is especially important with the deployment of payroll, absence and time tracking modules. Before you click Approve, it is critical that you complete a quality review of time entries and do so in a timely manner. Accuracy and approvals are necessary to process payroll for employees. If you’re going to be out of the office for an extended period, set up your delegations in Workday to reassign those tasks during your absence. The Delegate a Task job aid has been recently updated.

In March, Part 2 of the Getting the Most out of Workday series will be available. Stay tuned!

The KCKFD wants new mothers to know that they have lactation rooms available at both Fire Stations 12 and 16 which are open to any UG employee who needs them. Station 12 is in Piper at Hutton and Leavenworth Roads, and Station 16 is in Turner at Pierson Park.

These rooms are dedicated to lactating mothers. There is a lock on the door, a comfortable chair and rug, and a refrigerator that locks. The mother using the room can store breast milk in the refrigerator, lock it, and then take the keys with her. She would return the keys once she comes back to empty the contents of the fridge. Questions? Please reach out to Assistant Chief of Support Services Brett McCoy at bmccoy@kckfd.org.