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Hello!
June is officially here! We are excited to bring you this month's UG Monthly Employee Newsletter. This newsletter highlights lots of great information, including information about how the UG is celebrating diversity and welcoming our many new employees.
We challenge you to read the complete newsletter, so you can stay informed and connected to what's going on in the UG and around the community.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions regarding this newsletter at communications@wycokck.org.
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The following individuals joined the Unified Government family in the past month - welcome! |
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- Devin Barlow
- Alexandria Barnett
- Giovanni Damian
- Richard Fatherley
- Cassandra Felix
- Adiah Gutierrez
- Parker Hasenkamp
- Adriana Jacobo
- Lindsey King
- Rodney Lucas
- Taniesha Mariney
- Deyanira Parra Lugo
- John Paulakovich
- Brandon Wayne
- Hudson Weaver
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- James Reyes
- Angela Robinson
- Ronin Roddy
- Robert Schepis
- Ryan Schuler
- Andrea Smith-Walker
- Jacqueline Swope
- Felicia Uche
- Kerwhin Valette Toirac
- Lane Vogel
- Lucas Vogel
- Chadayne Walker
- Erica Warrior
- Cher Yang
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In Memoriam: William Joseph Budy
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William "Bill" Joseph Budy of KCK lost his hard fought battle with cancer on May 21, 2024. Bill was born to Leo and Mary Budy on December 8, 1960. Bill attended Christ the King elementary and graduated from Washington High School. Bill could do anything he put his mind to and would do absolutely anything for anyone. He spent the last several years working for the Unified Government in the Building and Logistics Department where many friendships were made and he will be missed. Read his obituary.
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June: A Month of Celebrating Diversity |
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Celebrating Diversity and having an inclusive work environment is key to the success of our organization. It is important to remember that a workplace that allows employees to be seen, heard and understood is a workplace that thrives!
The month of June is designated as Pride Month. On Friday, June 7, the Human Resources Department partnered with New Directions to offer UG staff a training session on the Importance of an LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Workplace.
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On June 19, 2024, we are proud to acknowledge and celebrate the Juneteenth holiday. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. This special day marks the county’s second Independence Day, by delivering the historic emancipation for enslaved African Americans in the United States.
Important to Remember: UG Offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday.
Trash & Recycling: Although UG offices will be closed, recycling and trash collection will continue running and will not be impacted.
Get more educated about Juneteenth: Abolition of slavery announced in Texas on "Juneteenth" | June 19, 1865 | HISTORY
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Employee Spotlights & Accomplishments
We are excited to spotlight our amazing staff! Each month we will be highlighting the great work and accomplishments of our staff.
 Leadership 2000 Graduates Please Stand Up!!!! Congratulations to the below UG staff that took the steps in advancing their professional development skills in the Leadership 2000 program. The above staff officially graduated on June 12th from this year long program. Congratulations!!! Keep up the great work!
- Jeff Miles - Public Works/ WPC
- Cassandra Taylor - Public Works
- Dewayne Smith - Public Works/ Streets
- Andrea Vinyard - Treasury
- Patrick Holton - NRC/Property Maintenance
- Kayla Hower - NRC/Livable Neighborhoods
- Rene Rodriguez - Sheriff/ Juvenile Detention
- Sheri Courtney - Legal
- Brandon Moses - KCKPD
- Yvette Miller - Community Development
- Vita Drew - DA's Office
Learn more about Leadership 2000: Leadership 2000
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The Face Behind the Stories
Have you ever wondered who was responsible for creating the great videos capturing various UG events, programs and services.
Meet Josh Rizer, Community Storyteller in the Strategic Communications Department. Josh has over 28 years of videography and editing experience and has a unique eye for capturing the perfect shot.
Be on the lookout for him at UG events or capturing video footage throughout different departments.
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This year’s Public Works Picnic, usually held during National Public Works Week, was postponed so teams could respond to severe weather in May. National Public Works Week has honored the essential role of public works professionals in enhancing and connecting communities since 1960, and thousands of organizations around the country celebrate it every May.
The rescheduled picnic was held earlier this month, and in keeping with tradition, teams from Bonner Springs and Edwardsville were invited to join. Held at JP Davis Hall, the picnic featured a lunch with hamburgers, hotdogs, veggies, snacks, and a raffle with items donated by local engineering, consulting, and equipment firms.
“Thank you to our UG, Bonner Springs, and Edwardsville teams,” said Troy Shaw, Interim UG Public Works Director. “Your work supports some of the city’s most vital and critical public services.”
In addition to enjoying the food, teams had the opportunity to network, relax in the sun during their lunch break, and play games like cornhole. The event underscored the vital work that keeps cities functioning smoothly and provided a well-earned break for the dedicated teams.
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UG Employee Appreciation Program
Directors and Managers: Don't forget about the UG Employee Appreciation Program.
This program is sponsored by County Administration and allows department heads to nominate employees each month that show great customer service and dedication by going above and beyond in their daily work.
Nominated/ selected employees have the opportunity to take advantage of a variety of fun events around town.
Remember, Directors may send nominees at any time you feel you have a team or team member that you feel deserves to be highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work.
Directors & Managers to learn more about this program, please contact Diana Segui at desegui@wycokck.org
June Winner: Congratulations to Cassandra Taylor in Public Works on being one of the many winners nominated and selected to enjoy some fun tickets in the community.
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INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ONLY – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
On May 21, 2024, Kansas City, Kansas Police and Fire Departments began experiencing technical difficulties, resulting in a temporary disruption to certain systems and operations. This prompted an immediate response review, which remains in place with significant resources devoted to the ongoing process of resolving the issue.
This has not caused any disruption to KCKPD and KCKFD’s response to calls for service. Although we are working as quickly as possible to restore full functionality, those servers and systems are expected to remain unavailable for a period of time. We are proud of our employees and their ability to pivot in order to continue to maintain our service to the KCK community during this time.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this process. To ensure all communications are consistent and accurate, we ask that you please refrain from discussing this event with outside parties. Should you have any questions, or receive questions from the media or outside parties, please direct those questions to Nancy Chartrand, KCKPD Public Information Officer, at n.chartrand.pd@wycokck.org.
Looking to make a difference and join a fun environmentally friendly challenge? Well, join us in the recycling challenge.
We encourage you to start collecting those hard-to-recycle plastics and bring them to your building of choice - the waste collected will be weighed weekly.
Buildings will score points based on the amount collected per occupant. These plastics will be repurposed by NexTrex into park benches which will be installed in our community! Every 1,000 lbs of recycling collected = one new bench. Each week the top three buildings will be announced.
And the building winners for the week are.... Congratulations!! Keep up the gre
1st Place - The fleet campus, with a total of 18.80 pounds.
2nd - Annex (4.6)
3rd - City Hall (3.15)
Participating Buildings:
- Municipal Building (701 N 7th Street)
- Health Department (600 Ann Avenue)
- Courthouse (710 N 7th Street)
- Juvenile Detention Center (738 Ann Avenue)
- Kaw Point Water Treatment Plant (50 Market Street)
- Fire Headquarters (815 N 6th Street)
- Police Headquarters (700 Minnesota Avenue)
- Neighborhood Resource Center (4953 State Avenue)
- Fleet Center (5033 State Avenue)
- UG Annex (8200 State Avenue)
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Mark Your Calendar/ Personal Resources |
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