The past few days I have been busy with a ton of different things. The biggest news is that one of my projects is moving forward in the process for final implementation.
I have been working with the Town Clerk on several projects the past few weeks. One of them has been regarding the current Boards and Commissions. I have been part of an internal team working on some of the details for this new project. I put together a background report, executive summary and a presentation. I had to give the presentation to all the department heads on Monday morning. I was pretty nervous since I wanted to make sure that I explained the project clearly and did not come off as a know-nothing. I think it went pretty well. No one said that I did terrible, but who would say that...
Giving the presentation was really helpful in several ways. First, it gave me more practice speaking in front of people that I am not 100% familiar with. We gave presentations during my MPA, but those were to my friends and teachers and usually did not have any consequences rather than grades, but this presentation had real life outcomes, if the Town chooses to implement this new design. It also was meant to provide the department heads the opportunity to give feedback on the process in order to work out all the details and make sure that this program can be the best it can be. I really appreciated their feedback and I they brought up many different things of which the internal team had not yet thought. I am going to give the same presentation to another group and then to the Council eventually, so I was glad to have the practice.
I am currently working on two programs that are going to be reinstated during this fiscal year. They are very similar in that one is for citizens and the other for employees. I am currently only working on citizen program since we have not yet met regarding the employee program, but I think that they will coincide fairly seamlessly. I have been preparing schedules and background for the citizens program, and I think we can pull quite a bit from this for the employee version, so I am looking forward to getting that started next week.
I have also been working on setting up the Town's United Way campaign. I think it will be a great marketing campaign and hopefully we will have a number of employees who will be interested in giving to help others. There are several agencies that work with the United Way that provide service to Marana residents. We are looking to start our campaign in the next few months, so I will be very busy with that in the next couple weeks. They are really great to work with so I am excited to be involved with the United Way.
I have also been working on finishing up organizing all the wastewater documents. I am almost finished with the electronic documents, and then it comes to make sure that all the hard copies are in there and scanning things that are not missing from the repository. This process should not take as long since I did a lot of the work ahead of time naming things and putting them in specific folders that searching should be a piece of cake. Well that is the hope anyway. I will start working on something similar for the contracts process. Currently, the team is working on how to move forward with a successful and transparent contract management process, which will be applied to most every department. But my responsibility is to create a naming convention to be used for these contracts. I created one for the wastewater files, but these are different types of documents, and my WW convention does not apply. So I have been going through different types of files to see what is currently in the system and how they are currently named as a starting place and then when the team meets again we can come up with a final decision.
I am really enjoying my time with the Town. I feel as if I am working on projects that are meaningful and will make a difference in the management of Town business and will make things more streamlined and easier for staff. As far as the new programs are concerned, that is one of the most exciting things for me. I love coming up with new and fresh ideas to brighten up something that might not have been active in recent years. I have been doing that with my volunteer experience for years, and it is nice to use those skills in my chosen profession. I really like being in on something from the beginning and working hard to build it and see it through to fruition. There is a great sense of pride that comes with seeing something you have worked so hard on finally be achieved. I really want to be able to work on something that the Town and Marana residents will be proud of. That they can say, "oh yeah, that really awesome program..... its in my town." Its just life affirming being excited about everything (mostly) in your chosen field. I am just having a great time! Yes, I know....giant dork.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
New Project Alert!
So I might be the worst at blogging....but more likely there has just been so much going on recently that I just have not had the time to sit down and think/reflect.
I have still been working on the wastewater documents. Slowly but surely I will get through that backlog! Its amazing the records that have been kept over the past 6 years!
The HR survey I have been developing finally went out for respondents this week, which is both exciting and scary. I just hope people respond and that it is easy to use and understand. I think it will be quick and we will get some great data back.
The new stuff has been really exciting also! Last week Vickie and I attended the Arizona City/County Managers Association conference in Tucson. It is the state branch of the International City/County Manager's Association, and is a place where managers and other leaders from towns, cities and counties all over the state come for professional development. It was a three and half day conference and each day was broken up into continuing education type sessions. I really enjoyed the citizen's engagement talk and got a lot of great ideas for the new commissions system we are working on, as well as the sustainability and green government discussion. Recycling and others types of conservation is something that I am really into, not in a crazy hippie way, but a normal and reasonable way. I do not drive to work on french fry oil or anything, but I am a bit of a recycling dictator...So it was really interesting to see how, in this instance, Maricopa County was institutionalizing sustainable programs.
There were so many other lectures; pensions and retirement, ask the experts, economic update, legislative update, mobile governing, and many others. It was really cool to learn from others in the profession.
Did I mention that I have some new projects....
Well I am going to start working on something that the Town has done in the past, but due to budget restrictions had to discontinue, but they are bringing it back! I had this idea from the conference about how to generate employee buy in to reduce attrition and turn over, and that fits perfectly into the project with HR and the Clerk's office. They have a employee training program where new employees are introduced to Marana and what the Town has to offer. It is a great way to inform while promoting the Town. There is an external program also, that citizens can participate in to learn more about Marana and municipal government in general. This is so exciting, since I am the biggest government nerd out there, talking and teaching other people about it will be amazing!
The other project is similar to the wastewater project in that it centers around organization, but this time it involves the contracting process. So I will be using the same programs, but in a new way. I am learning more about the other departments; how they function and what types of work they do. It makes my rotation through CIP and Records that much more important since now I have a beginning knowledge of what they do, and I do not have to start from scratch. Contracts are unique because most of the work is done electronically, editing and revising drafts, but the most important part are the signatures and how do we remedy the signatures with the electronic versions. That is what I am going to be working on with folks from Finance, CIP, Tech Services, and Records.
I have really been having a great time here. The days just seem to fly by, and it never seems like I have enough time to get things done. I think that is real life though. I am glad to be here and feel like I am doing work that is meaningful for Marana residents. While it might not seem that way when I am sitting and sorting through documents, the end product will be significant.
I have still been working on the wastewater documents. Slowly but surely I will get through that backlog! Its amazing the records that have been kept over the past 6 years!
The HR survey I have been developing finally went out for respondents this week, which is both exciting and scary. I just hope people respond and that it is easy to use and understand. I think it will be quick and we will get some great data back.
The new stuff has been really exciting also! Last week Vickie and I attended the Arizona City/County Managers Association conference in Tucson. It is the state branch of the International City/County Manager's Association, and is a place where managers and other leaders from towns, cities and counties all over the state come for professional development. It was a three and half day conference and each day was broken up into continuing education type sessions. I really enjoyed the citizen's engagement talk and got a lot of great ideas for the new commissions system we are working on, as well as the sustainability and green government discussion. Recycling and others types of conservation is something that I am really into, not in a crazy hippie way, but a normal and reasonable way. I do not drive to work on french fry oil or anything, but I am a bit of a recycling dictator...So it was really interesting to see how, in this instance, Maricopa County was institutionalizing sustainable programs.
There were so many other lectures; pensions and retirement, ask the experts, economic update, legislative update, mobile governing, and many others. It was really cool to learn from others in the profession.
Did I mention that I have some new projects....
Well I am going to start working on something that the Town has done in the past, but due to budget restrictions had to discontinue, but they are bringing it back! I had this idea from the conference about how to generate employee buy in to reduce attrition and turn over, and that fits perfectly into the project with HR and the Clerk's office. They have a employee training program where new employees are introduced to Marana and what the Town has to offer. It is a great way to inform while promoting the Town. There is an external program also, that citizens can participate in to learn more about Marana and municipal government in general. This is so exciting, since I am the biggest government nerd out there, talking and teaching other people about it will be amazing!
The other project is similar to the wastewater project in that it centers around organization, but this time it involves the contracting process. So I will be using the same programs, but in a new way. I am learning more about the other departments; how they function and what types of work they do. It makes my rotation through CIP and Records that much more important since now I have a beginning knowledge of what they do, and I do not have to start from scratch. Contracts are unique because most of the work is done electronically, editing and revising drafts, but the most important part are the signatures and how do we remedy the signatures with the electronic versions. That is what I am going to be working on with folks from Finance, CIP, Tech Services, and Records.
I have really been having a great time here. The days just seem to fly by, and it never seems like I have enough time to get things done. I think that is real life though. I am glad to be here and feel like I am doing work that is meaningful for Marana residents. While it might not seem that way when I am sitting and sorting through documents, the end product will be significant.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Internship Update!
There has been a lot happening here over the past few days!
Vickie and I are in charge of the Marana table at the League of Cities and Towns showcase of Towns convention. Each participating jurisdiction has a booth where they present all thats awesome about their city/town. Vickie and I have been working diligently on ours. We have a theme, and have talked with some of the other departments about how to implement that design with actual materials and devices the Town uses. I think that the more authentic the booth, the more attractive and interesting it will be. I really want it to be the most popular at the convention! I think we are on our way to having a successful event.
I have also been working on getting through all of the wastewater files and documents. I was lucky enough to have two staff members help me drag and drop. Thank goodness for them! They are saving me so much time and are allowing me to focus on the other documents that do NOT even have names or assignments yet. We should have a big document party once they are all renamed and assigned to the proper folder! I know it sounds totally boring, but for a giant nerd like me...its the best thing ever!
The commissions project has been coming along nicely and I have a meeting with the Town Manager at the end of the week to go over what has been done so far. I hope that he likes it and can give us some great feedback before we take the idea to the department heads. Another thing I am nervous about!
The survey I have been creating with HR seems to be working out great. We sent it out to a test group and got some great feedback. I have been reorganizing questions and types of responses to make it that much better. I think that by the end of the summer, the survey will be implemented.
I am so excited that some of things I have been working on are coming to fruition! I have been working hard and am glad to see that my work is paying off. I don't think that would have been the case this quickly if I had worked for a large municipality. I am glad to be here, and working on these projects just reinforces that notion each day!
Vickie and I are in charge of the Marana table at the League of Cities and Towns showcase of Towns convention. Each participating jurisdiction has a booth where they present all thats awesome about their city/town. Vickie and I have been working diligently on ours. We have a theme, and have talked with some of the other departments about how to implement that design with actual materials and devices the Town uses. I think that the more authentic the booth, the more attractive and interesting it will be. I really want it to be the most popular at the convention! I think we are on our way to having a successful event.
I have also been working on getting through all of the wastewater files and documents. I was lucky enough to have two staff members help me drag and drop. Thank goodness for them! They are saving me so much time and are allowing me to focus on the other documents that do NOT even have names or assignments yet. We should have a big document party once they are all renamed and assigned to the proper folder! I know it sounds totally boring, but for a giant nerd like me...its the best thing ever!
The commissions project has been coming along nicely and I have a meeting with the Town Manager at the end of the week to go over what has been done so far. I hope that he likes it and can give us some great feedback before we take the idea to the department heads. Another thing I am nervous about!
The survey I have been creating with HR seems to be working out great. We sent it out to a test group and got some great feedback. I have been reorganizing questions and types of responses to make it that much better. I think that by the end of the summer, the survey will be implemented.
I am so excited that some of things I have been working on are coming to fruition! I have been working hard and am glad to see that my work is paying off. I don't think that would have been the case this quickly if I had worked for a large municipality. I am glad to be here, and working on these projects just reinforces that notion each day!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
QT and Trico Adventures
Today was busy! I started the morning at the Grand Opening of the new Quick Trip gas station that opened on the east side of I-10 at Cortaro. There is a few QTs by my house and they are awesome, so I was really looking forward to this event. It started right at 8am and the Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon cutting ceremony just like with the Legacy Apartments. It was really neat to see all the people who had worked on the project there to see the final result. The planning department, the Town Manager and Deputy Town Manager as well as many of the council members were there to help congratulate the people at QT for a job well done. It will be a terrific sales tax and HURF revenue generator for the Town and the State, which is great with the current economic climate. I was really impressed with how many people were there, not just for the ribbon cutting but were already there buying gas and other gas station goodies. It looks like they are going to do really well.
The other event we had this morning was the dedication of the new Trico Electric Co-Op's solar field. It is right next to the Trico building on Tangerine. This is an amazing new feature for Trico members.
NERD ALERT!
This new solar field allows members to purchase a portion of a solar panel and use the energy it generates for as a credit on their electric bill. They can buy a quarter or up to the entire panel! It allows the members to reduce reliance on "non-green" methods of energy in a cost effective manner. Here are some FAQs if you are a Trico member and want to learn more about the program. Sadly, I am not a Trico member...
The rest of the day was taken up with meetings, finishing up projects and learning about new projects. My Manrana Legends list is almost complete, I am tracking down a few more phone numbers and addresses for the lady writing a book on local legends including Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina. Should be fascinating with all the history in the area. I also met with some of the staff to begin work on finding a way to work with the United Way. It had tried to be done in the past and had some challenges, but now we are hoping to get the program reinstated and starting giving back to the community in other ways.
As the summer has gone along I have really been given the opportunity to be involved with many facets of the town. I have been able to work with HR, Strategic Initiatives, the Manager's Office, and Utilities and many other areas. It just reinforces one of the major pluses about working in a municipality like Marana; each department works directly with others on a pretty daily basis. I enjoy learning about the interconnected manner of the different agencies and be able to use other people's and department's talents toward a project. This does not seem like the norm, just another way that Marana is innovative and ahead of the game!
The other event we had this morning was the dedication of the new Trico Electric Co-Op's solar field. It is right next to the Trico building on Tangerine. This is an amazing new feature for Trico members.
NERD ALERT!
This new solar field allows members to purchase a portion of a solar panel and use the energy it generates for as a credit on their electric bill. They can buy a quarter or up to the entire panel! It allows the members to reduce reliance on "non-green" methods of energy in a cost effective manner. Here are some FAQs if you are a Trico member and want to learn more about the program. Sadly, I am not a Trico member...
The rest of the day was taken up with meetings, finishing up projects and learning about new projects. My Manrana Legends list is almost complete, I am tracking down a few more phone numbers and addresses for the lady writing a book on local legends including Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina. Should be fascinating with all the history in the area. I also met with some of the staff to begin work on finding a way to work with the United Way. It had tried to be done in the past and had some challenges, but now we are hoping to get the program reinstated and starting giving back to the community in other ways.
As the summer has gone along I have really been given the opportunity to be involved with many facets of the town. I have been able to work with HR, Strategic Initiatives, the Manager's Office, and Utilities and many other areas. It just reinforces one of the major pluses about working in a municipality like Marana; each department works directly with others on a pretty daily basis. I enjoy learning about the interconnected manner of the different agencies and be able to use other people's and department's talents toward a project. This does not seem like the norm, just another way that Marana is innovative and ahead of the game!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Busy Little Bee
I have been having such a great time during my internship!
In the past week or so I have given 2 newspaper interviews, along with Vickie. These were new experiences for me and I was glad that I had the opportunity. One was published in the Northwest Section of the Arizona Daily Star, and the other has yet to be published, but will be in the Marana Explorer. It was a great way to talk about our projects and time with the Town, while also learning how to interact with the media. I was nervous, but glad that I was able to do it also.
I have been dilligently working away trying to get the wastewater documentation under control. There are documents that go back to the IGA from 1979! Each of these needs to be identified and then filed in the appropriate area. I have created all the folders and now its just organizing. I am obsessed with getting through all the files and make sure they are right and orderly and uniform. It is almost a compulsion. I should really seek some type of help....
I also have been working on an internal HR survey for employee's skills. Researching online survey tools as well as how they work has been challenging. I was used to one system, but it might not be the best at exporting the data we are looking for. I am using one program and Vickie is using another for her emergency preparedness survey. Once the survey melee has come to a close, we will make a final decision on which system to use. I'm nervous about the survey, I programmed some logic and branching so I hope that programming works.
My other projects include a new system for Boards and Commissions, a project with United Way, a Marana "All-Stars" reserach project for a local legends book, and Vickie and I are in charge of the Marana booth for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns Conference at the end of August. There is so much going on! I am really excited about all of these projects. It makes my days really full and fun.
I have been working on trying not to get overwhelmed with one project and being able to participate in many different things has been awesome. The best part is that everyone is so supportive of you and your ideas. I had a meeting a few weeks ago with the Deputy Town Manager, the Town Attorney and other higher-ups within the Town. I was really nervous since I was presenting them with my ideas and my projects and they were amazing! Really understood where I was going and gave great feedback for how they believe the system will work. That has been one of the most rewarding parts of the past few weeks. Knowing that everyone here is rooting for you to do well (and the home team).
In the past week or so I have given 2 newspaper interviews, along with Vickie. These were new experiences for me and I was glad that I had the opportunity. One was published in the Northwest Section of the Arizona Daily Star, and the other has yet to be published, but will be in the Marana Explorer. It was a great way to talk about our projects and time with the Town, while also learning how to interact with the media. I was nervous, but glad that I was able to do it also.
I have been dilligently working away trying to get the wastewater documentation under control. There are documents that go back to the IGA from 1979! Each of these needs to be identified and then filed in the appropriate area. I have created all the folders and now its just organizing. I am obsessed with getting through all the files and make sure they are right and orderly and uniform. It is almost a compulsion. I should really seek some type of help....
I also have been working on an internal HR survey for employee's skills. Researching online survey tools as well as how they work has been challenging. I was used to one system, but it might not be the best at exporting the data we are looking for. I am using one program and Vickie is using another for her emergency preparedness survey. Once the survey melee has come to a close, we will make a final decision on which system to use. I'm nervous about the survey, I programmed some logic and branching so I hope that programming works.
My other projects include a new system for Boards and Commissions, a project with United Way, a Marana "All-Stars" reserach project for a local legends book, and Vickie and I are in charge of the Marana booth for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns Conference at the end of August. There is so much going on! I am really excited about all of these projects. It makes my days really full and fun.
I have been working on trying not to get overwhelmed with one project and being able to participate in many different things has been awesome. The best part is that everyone is so supportive of you and your ideas. I had a meeting a few weeks ago with the Deputy Town Manager, the Town Attorney and other higher-ups within the Town. I was really nervous since I was presenting them with my ideas and my projects and they were amazing! Really understood where I was going and gave great feedback for how they believe the system will work. That has been one of the most rewarding parts of the past few weeks. Knowing that everyone here is rooting for you to do well (and the home team).
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Vote for the Community Food Bank
The Community Food Bank in Marana is up to win some fruit trees from Dreyer's! Please cast your vote for the Food Bank and help them gain some valuable resources for our community. It just takes a second to register and then you can vote one time per day. We are in the top 5 right now, and voting ends today! Only those within the top 5 receive trees! Follow the link below.
Marana Community Food Bank
Marana Community Food Bank
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
And the Beat Goes On
I have been working hard the past few days! This document management project has really grown into something much bigger than I had anticipated. I have had to get access to several programs and systems that have made it so much easier however, thanks to the Technical Services team.
I am learning how to use SharePoint and its a really amazing system. Really dynamic and powerful for working on projects. I have finished the documents I currently had access to, and will start the files from the utilities department on Thursday. That's the day of my big meeting! I have asked to have a brain storming-esque meeting to talk to the folks that are going to be using this program much more often to get their input in how they currently use it, and what changes they would like to see. I am a bit nervous since its some heavy hitters within the Town, but everyone is so nice that it will be great. I have been working trying to get through the files so I have a better understanding of what is currently there and how it is setup so I can change it to fit the new system.
I was able to go to the Open House for the Legacy Apartments today to see their ribbon cutting ceremony. It was really exciting for the developer, the development services department and the Town. Two council members, the town manager, the deputy town manager, the mayor, the Director of development services, and the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce were all there. It was really great to see the civic support for local businesses, just reinforcing the focus on being business friendly.
Tomorrow I have my last rotation, HR. I'm looking forward to it. Our HR course in school was not the best, so I am excited to get more hands on experiences. I think I am going to put together a skills survey, which will be really cool. I have done this before so I am excited to get to put some more of my skills to use here!
I am learning how to use SharePoint and its a really amazing system. Really dynamic and powerful for working on projects. I have finished the documents I currently had access to, and will start the files from the utilities department on Thursday. That's the day of my big meeting! I have asked to have a brain storming-esque meeting to talk to the folks that are going to be using this program much more often to get their input in how they currently use it, and what changes they would like to see. I am a bit nervous since its some heavy hitters within the Town, but everyone is so nice that it will be great. I have been working trying to get through the files so I have a better understanding of what is currently there and how it is setup so I can change it to fit the new system.
I was able to go to the Open House for the Legacy Apartments today to see their ribbon cutting ceremony. It was really exciting for the developer, the development services department and the Town. Two council members, the town manager, the deputy town manager, the mayor, the Director of development services, and the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce were all there. It was really great to see the civic support for local businesses, just reinforcing the focus on being business friendly.
Tomorrow I have my last rotation, HR. I'm looking forward to it. Our HR course in school was not the best, so I am excited to get more hands on experiences. I think I am going to put together a skills survey, which will be really cool. I have done this before so I am excited to get to put some more of my skills to use here!
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