Employee Newsletter April 2012

Employee Newsletter | April 2012

In This Issue

Connections: Demonstrating the 3Cs!

Relay for Life Fundraisers Underway!

Employee Luncheon to be Held May 10

Paws for the Cause Raises $2,200!

Auburn Employees Day at Emerald Downs June 3

Green Flash

Employee Survey

City Calendars

Contact Us

Does your department have an event or announcement you would like included in the next newsletter? Let us know!

Dana Hinman
dhinman@auburnwa.gov ext. 4009

Auburn Employees Activity Association (AEAA)

Get involved, contact any member for more information!

View AEAA Event Calendar

Officers (new as of Feb. 2011):

Toni Lindstrom, President,
Engineering, ext. 5070

Heather Guiberson, Vice President, Engineering, ext. 5054

Janine Poulsen, Treasurer,
M & O, ext. 3150

April Shrader, Secretary, Planning, ext. 1942

Committee Members:

Randy Bailey, M & O, ext. 5104

Tim Carlaw, Engineering, ext. 5060

Mike Kamenzind, Engineering, ext. 5083

Robert Lee, Engineering, ext. 5071

Scott Nutter, Engineering, ext. 5068

Haim Strasbourger, Engineering, ext. 5069

Carlene Teterud, Engineering, ext. 3138

Chris Thorn, Engineering, ext. 5065

Auburn's Write In Campaign!

Have you had a citizen come by, email or call with good things to say about Auburn? Encourage them to send a note to the Auburn Reporter. You can have people

Send an email to: submissions@auburn-reporter.com

Fax to: 253-833-0254

Mail to:
ATTN: Letters
Auburn Reporter
3702 W. Valley Highway N.
Suite #112
Auburn, WA 98002

Download the latest department phone directory here.

Please send any corrections for the directory to Linda Ball

Email Safety

Staying informed and becoming a knowledgeable computer user is the best way to protect yourself and keep your computer virus-free. This is not only important at work, but for your home computer use as well. The following safe practices will help protect your information and computer.

Watch out for "phishy" emails. The most common form of phishing is email pretending to be from a legitimate retailer, bank, organization, or government agency. The sender asks to 'confirm' your personal information for some made-up reason: your account is about to be closed, an order for something has been placed in your name, or your information has been lost because of a computer problem. Another tactic phishers use is to say they're from the fraud departments of well-known companies and ask to verify your information because they suspect you may be a victim of identity theft! In one case, a phisher claimed to be from a state lottery commission and requested people's banking information to deposit their "winnings" in their accounts.

Don't click on links within emails that ask for your personal information. Fraudsters use these links to lure people to phony Web sites that looks just like the real sites of the company, organization, or agency they're impersonating. If you follow the instructions and enter your personal information on the Web site, you'll deliver it directly into the hands of identity thieves. To check whether the message is really from the company or agency, call it directly or go to its Web site (use a search engine to find it).

Only open email attachments if you're expecting them and know what they contain. Even if a message comes from someone you know and communicate with, do not open attachments unless you are expecting them as they could be from scammers spoofing* your contacts and may contain programs that steal your personal information.

Don't reply to unsolicited messages ('spam') mail, or other offensive or harassing mail. By responding, you only confirm that you are a person with an active e-mail address who can be plagued with more unwanted e-mails.

Unsubscribing to unwanted email. If you are receiving newsletters or offers from legitimate vendors (vendors you have done business with), it is required that an 'unsubscribe' option be on the email. Typically you will be asked to reply to the email or click on a web link in order to unsubscribe.

If you receive a suspicious email, do not open it. Forward it to the Help Desk and Information Services will get it blocked.

*Spoofing - sending email using someone else's email name and email address

Connections: Demonstrating the 3Cs!

HR, Department Directors and others are encouraged to send their kudos, positive citizen feedback and accomplishments so we can share the great things we are doing with and for our citizens and demonstrating the 3Cs: City Service - Service to our co-workers; Customer Service - Service to our citizens; Care in Service - Service to our entire community. Send your comments to Linda Ball for consideration.

The following comments were sent in on comment cards:

Code Enforcement – Chuck, Rick and Don have improved Lea Hill Village HOA in such a positive way.  Some of the homes have a warm and friendly look.  Street appeal.  With their efforts, it may be on the Street of Dreams next spring.

Thank  you and your staff.  Also, the Police Department is unsurpassed.  Thank all of them for their protection and service.

Lea Hill Village HOA
Robert H.

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April was incredibly helpful with directions.  Thanks April!

Unsigned

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The following comment was sent in for Dani Daskam, City Clerk, from a citizen:

To whom it may concern:

I would like to share a recent experience that I had with the City Clerk’s office in Auburn Washington.  I had filed a police report due to identity theft that resulted in unauthorized withdrawals from my bank account.  I filed a police report on 3/26/12 with the Auburn police and needed a copy of the report in order for the bank to start processing a claim.  As you can imagine, it was a stressful moment but when I contact the City Clerk’s office on 3/27/12, Danielle Daskam was very accommodating.  She immediately faxed the form that I needed to complete in order to obtain a copy of the police report.  She also asked for my phone number and told me that she would look to see if the report was ready and would call me back.  Less than 4 hours later, Danielle contacted me to let me know that the report would be available for me at the City Clerk’s office.

I cannot express how much I appreciate the responsiveness that I received from the City Clerk’s office.

Respectfully,
A Proud Citizen of Auburn Washington

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The following comment was phoned in from a citizen for Molly Hoisington in Finance:

I had a problem with my garbage this week and I spoke with Molly Hoisington in Finance.  She was very helpful in solving the problem.  I appreciate it.

Virginia H.

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The following letter was sent in for Shirley Grant, Facilities Attendant at the Senior Center

Shirley,
It was so nice to meet you yesterday at our granddaughter’s birthday.  We appreciated all your help in making the party memorable!

Tom & Donna R

Relay for Life Fundraisers Underway!

Relay for Life of Auburn will be held May 11 & 12 at Auburn Memorial Stadium. Many departments have formed teams and are actively fundraising to fight cancer. For a full listing of fundraising activities, visit the Employee Giving page on the intranet.

You can purchase a carnation to recognize an employee, join a yoga class at city hall or purchase a chance to wear denim on Fridays until the day of the event! More fundraisers are bound to be added, so check back on the employee giving page often for details.

Employee Luncheon to be Held May 10

The employee luncheon will be held on May 10 beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Rainier Room at the Truitt Building! Join us to recognize all the employee accomplishments of 2011 including the 2011 Employee of the Year!

For more information, contact Tamie Bothell in the Mayor's office at ext. 1941.

Paws for the Cause Raises $2,200!

Thank you to all who participated in the “Paws for the Cause” fundraiser.  With your help and generosity we raised $2,220 for the Auburn Valley Humane Society.

We also want to thank Safeway for donating the cookies and $150 toward the hot dog fundraiser, Tim’s Cascade Chips for donating the chips and Wal-Mart for donating $50 worth of hot dogs and buns.

And a special shout out to Jim Westhusing for helping make all the buttons!

Your AVHS Fundraising Committee,

Brenda Heineman
Cheryl Abner
Dani Daskam
Dave Colglazier
Dennis Dowdy
Gloria Cody-Egan
Heather Kitchen
Janine Poulsen
Juli Anne Cooke
Linda Ball
David Ornsbey
Reba Stowe
Tiffany Anderson-Barnes

Auburn Employees Day at Emerald Downs June 3

Emerald Downs is offering City of Auburn employees, family and friends, free admission to the races and a free program on Sunday, June 3, 2012.  Mayor Lewis will be making a special presentation in the Winner’s Circle at the Auburn Handicap Race dedicated to the City of Auburn.

You and your guests can present the free ticket at Emerald Downs admission gate on June 3rd and receive a free program. Keep the ticket stub and receive free chips and a soda at the concession stand.

To receive your free tickets please stop by the Human Resources department or call Cheryl Abner at ext. 3131.

Community Yard Sale June 1-3

Don’t throw away your useable stuff! Have a yard sale, make some cash, and have some fun by hosting a yard sale at the same time as hundreds of other neighbors in Auburn June 1 – 3.

Register to have your address put in local papers and receive a Yard Sale Tool Kit. Watch for details on the Solid Waste & Recycling website.

Employee Survey

Each month we will conduct an anonymous, fun survey and post the results in the following month's newsletter.

Take this month's survey now.

MARCH SURVEY RESULTS

1. Have you ever lived in a foreign country?
Yes - 27%
No - 73%

2. Have you ever fallen asleep in a movie theater?
Yes - 53%
No - 47%

3. Have you ever bought or sold anything on eBay?
Yes - 64%
No - 36%