 Thank you to everyone who participated in the Wear Red Day! It's so meaningful to join together and support this great cause of being Heart Healthy, especially for women who are at the greatest risk.
The winner of the drawing for a prize is: Development Services! Congratulations and thank you to everyone for participating.
 City staff do great things every day, and we want to celebrate and communicate when they go above and beyond! The current process includes staff or community members submitting a recognition form via the intranet or website, and Human Resources reviews the submittal and identifies the recognition type.
The Communications and Marketing Department has added a ‘stop to celebrate’ step to the employee recognition program. If the recognition is identified as a Rock Star, we will contact the recognized employee and their supervisors and schedule a time to go to the department to acknowledge and celebrate them.
This is an extra way to elevate our employees and share these amazing stories of how they go above and beyond in the work they do every day, reflecting the values of the City.
These "rock stars" are listed in the link below, so if you see any of them, congratulate them on their great service!
 Do you want an opportunity to provide insight and feedback on City programs and initiatives? Are you invested in improving the employee experience? Do you enjoy collaborating with others?
Applications are available now for the Employee Engagement Team. This volunteer employee group provides input on various City initiatives and helps communicate these initiatives throughout the organization. Members are selected through an application process for a two-year term. Members can re-apply through the application process but cannot serve for more than four consecutive years.
Applications are due by Monday, March 3, 2025.
 The above members served a one-year term on the Employee Engagement Team.
Back Row: Philip Burnett, Fire; Melissa Beseda, Police; Kasey Gamblin, Fiscal Management Services; Shirley Bloodworth, Animal Services.
Front Row: Terry Langley, Water Utilities; Melody Sauls, Human Resources; Gary Proctor, Parks & Recreation; Lisa Baker, Health Services; LaSonia Stewart, Health Services.
During our initial year, the engagement team had the opportunity to provide feedback on the vision of a new city hall, employee appreciation events, performance discussion training, open enrollment and wellness, cybersecurity, and communications, and learned more about the policy process.
Thank you for your service and input!
 Kristen Hamilton-Karam has been appointed by City Council as our new City Attorney. With more than 13 year of municipal legal experience, Kristen is poised to successfully lead our city's legal efforts. Kristen most recently served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of El Paso.
A 2007 Seton Hall University School of Law graduate, Kristen also holds a Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies: Psychology and Missiology from Nyack College.
Welcome to the team, Kristen!
 With close to 1,700 employees, it's sometimes hard to get to know one another! The Communications & Marketing department is launching a new employee series titled Waco at Work. We would love for you to volunteer and let us "get to know you" more.
If interested, fill out the form and we will be in contact over the coming months. We always appreciate those who volunteer! Let's have some fun getting to know one another!
 IT has launched a new citywide work order system that you will use to submit IT help desk tickets. This tool has been implemented to improve efficiency, track requests more effectively, and ensure quicker resolution times for your IT needs.
This new system replaces the previous process of entering tickets through Kace. The benefit of submitting your request through Kloudgin is that you will receive notifications of status changes as well as being able to login to review your submitted requests.
As the year progresses, please be aware that certain life events may qualify you for a special enrollment period, allowing you to adjust your benefits outside the standard open enrollment period.
Some of these qualifying events include:
- Marriage
- Birth/Adoption
- A spouse/dependent's loss or gain of other coverage
- Your loss or gain of other coverage
- Spouse's Open Enrollment resulting in a change of coverage
- Death
- Divorce
- CHIP/Medicare Enrollment
Children can be covered up to their 26th birthday. If your child becomes ineligible for coverage or ages out (i.e. turning age 26), you need to notify Human Resources.
Note: Newborns do not receive automatic coverage for the first 30 days following birth; they must be enrolled in the plan within 30 days after birth to receive coverage.
These qualifying events may enable you to update your health, dental, vision, and other benefits. To ensure timely updates, you must notify HR within 30 days of the event.
To learn more, go to page 8 in our Benefits Guide or view the attached page.
For more details, or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the HR department. 254‐750‐5789 or email benefits@wacotx.gov
 The Waco-McLennan County Crime Stoppers Board presented awards recognizing local law enforcement and media contributions, including Sergeant Jeremy Angel and Public Information Officer Cierra Shipley, for their work in quickly apprehending a wanted felon who had challenged police on social media.
 On Thursday, Feb. 6, Circle Road received its honorary designation as Pet Circle Road to celebrate and recognize the vital work of Pet Circle Regional Animal Center. Following the unveiling, attendees took pictures with Chance, the new Pet Circle Waco mascot, met some of the adorable adoptable animals, and explored the facility during the open house.
Special shout out to Health Camp, our Pet Circle Road neighbor, who sponsored ten adoptions for the community.
 The Texas Department of Transportation is gearing up for a major four-year expansion project on Interstate 35. Construction is scheduled to begin this month and will focus on the stretch between 12th Street and Highway 6. The $234 million project will result in eight main lanes, continuous frontage roads with redesigned ramps, enhanced pedestrian and bicycle safety with new sidewalks, and rebuilt crossings with U-turn lanes. The Valley Mills Drive crossing will see the biggest change with the removal of the northbound flyover
 Know someone looking for a great career opportunity? Invite them to our upcoming job fair! This is a fantastic chance for job seekers to explore openings, connect with hiring managers, and learn about the benefits of working with us.
Friday, February 21
2:30-5:30 p.m.
Dewey Community Center
Help us find the best talent—share this event with your friends, family, and professional network!
If you would like to share the attached flyer, please download and share.
 February is dedicated as Black History Month, honoring and celebrating the contributions, legacy, and culture of African Americans in our community.
Black History Month originated in the United States in 1926 as a week-long celebration in February established by historian Carter G. Woodson to highlight the contributions of African Americans. Later in 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month calling upon the public "to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans."
January 27
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