Manager's eUpdate for 04/06/09

I am pleased to provide you with highlights of some of our recent activities that reflect the County Commission's strategic priorities for our region. As always, I welcome your comments either by email (ksimon@washoecounty.us) or phone (775-328-2000). If you do not wish to receive this update by email, please let Community Relations Director Kathy Carter know at kcarter@washoecounty.us. Thank you.

Katy Simon
Washoe County Manager

Regional Animal Services teamed up with the Sheriff`s Office`s Emergency Response Team (CERT) to form an Animal Rescue Team (ART). CERT members that are also ART certified will team up with Animal Control Officers during a disaster such as a fire or flood to increase our ability to assist pets and owners. Assisting pet owners during an emergency is now mandated by state law.

return to top

Thanks to a book drive spear-headed by Regional Parks and Open Space rangers and the generosity of visitors to county parks, more than a thousand books were collected for students of Sun Valley Elementary School. Rangers will take the books with them when they visit the school to read during April`s Reading Week.

return to top

Last Saturday, April 4th, more than 100 volunteers participated in A Community Clean-Up Day at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum. Sponsored by the Regional Parks and Open Space Department in partnership with Rail City Nursery, volunteers for this event contributed about 400 hours worth of work putting the arboretum about a month ahead of their spring cleaning schedule.

return to top

Over 50 pieces of art by local artists, ranging from Nevada`s wild horses to exotic beasts of the Far East, are now on display at the Wilbur D. May Museum as part of the Predators family nature exhibit. All of the art is available for purchase. Predators is a family adventure into the fierce and fascinating lives of the most dangerous animals on land, sea and in the sky and is on display through June 14th. Please call 785-5961 for ticket prices and museum hours.

return to top

Washoe County`s two public golf course are offering special green fees deals of 9-holes for $10 as they aerate the links for the summer season. Aeration Day specials will be offered at Sierra Sage Golf Course on April 8 and 9th; Washoe County Golf Course offers the same special on April 14 and 15th.

return to top

The County`s Learning Center has opened some of its training to non-county public employees when seats are available. To date, 6 City of Reno, 7 City of Sparks, and 1 Kids to Seniors employees have joined County employees in these training programs designed to improve employee performance.

return to top

Thanks to a partnership with Lifestyle Homes which has constructed several housing developments in the Sun Valley community, female dogs weighing 30 pounds or more are eligible for free spaying if their residence is in zip code 89433. The Nevada Humane Society and the Society for the Protection of Cruelty Against Animals are coordinating the actual spaying of the animals, and the County`s Regional Animal Services will assist with housing needs and provide microchips for any stray dogs in our facility that participate in the program. The value of this donated service by Lifestyle Homes is estimated to be about $50,000.

return to top

Thanks to recent improvements to the county`s financial system, SAP, we are now significantly reducing the time it takes to process some specific vendor payments; in addition, performing transactions electronically saves paper costs and waste. Instead of faxing or manually scanning printed remittance information to vendors, enhancements have been made so the SAP system automatically emails these, saving at least 3 hours per week of staff time.

We are also conducting a pilot program with NV Energy to receive, post and pay billings on line. Our pilot program involves four of the county`s energy accounts and we are reducing the processing time by 5% with this new electronic system. Once we implement the new system with our 20+ NV Energy accounts, we anticipate we`ll save 40+ hours per month in staff time.

return to top

In an effort to provide accurate maps for wildfire management, planning and recreational use, our GIS staff has been remapping the county dirt roads using the most recent orthophotography as a base. To date, 2,100 linear miles of dirt roads and service roads have been remapped. An additional 1,023 linear miles of unnamed dirt roads in the northern portion of the county will be mapped in the near future. These new maps may save precious emergency response time, and may save lives.

return to top

Washoe County Commission Chairman David Humke and County Manager Katy Simon discuss the County`s plans for meeting the economic challenges now and into the future, as well ways the County will meet the increasing demand for public services in the State of the County video now available for viewing on the County`s website. Simply go to www.washoecounty.us and click on The Washoe Channel logo, select the video-on-demand link, and click on the video link for the State of the County under Featured Programming. On the first day of its release, 400 citizens logged on to view this half-hour program.

return to top

While volunteers have always been an important partner in providing our services, Washoe County has recently made it easier with an interactive, on-line volunteer application. Since it was launched on March 18th, about 40 citizens have expressed their interest to volunteer with the county using this tool. Please visit www.washoecounty.us/citizens to apply on line and check out current volunteer opportunities.

return to top

Thanks to a wellness program challenge issued earlier this year, employee participants lost a total of 1,601 pounds with an average individual loss of 6.3 pounds each! Studies have shown that healthier employees translate to higher productivity, reduced sick time and lower health costs.

return to top

IN THIS ISSUE:

Improve Public Safety, Security and Health

Preserve and Enhance Our Quality of Life

Improve Regional Collaboration

Improve Government Efficiency and Financial Stability

Provide Excellent Public Services

Develop our Workforce