2012 Staff Survey

As we approach the new year it is time to start thinking about what we want to accomplish next. I have attached a survey that has some questions very similar to those I asked you a year ago, as well as some new ones. While it was impossible to act on every individual response last year, it was really helpful to give people a chance for honest feedback and hear the common responses.

Here’s the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B7982XX

Please take time to answer before Friday, January 13th.

Thank you for all your hard work this year. Have a wonderful holiday – you’ve earned it!

Colleen Rortvedt, Director

Holiday Break Activities & Winter Recreation with Appleton Parks & Recreation

Holiday Break Activities & Winter Recreation with Appleton Parks & Recreation - have fun & get fit over the holiday break! Take advantage of the great outdoors and the numerous winter recreational opportunities we have to offer right in your backyard! Spend an afternoon or evening with your family at one of our four winter warming shelters or at one of these other great activities like open swim at West Pool, Zumba downtown in City Center, open gym at Ferber or free open skate at AFIC. Ice rinks and warming shelters are scheduled to open on December 26, weather permitting. Winter Water Carnival is on December 28 - ages 6-13 with fun aquatic activities & games. Daily admission applies.

Click here for fun Holiday Break Activities scheduled for the entire week sponsored by Appleton Parks & Recreation.

Adopt-a-Family

This year for 2011 the Library has once again adopted a family for the holiday season through the Salvation Army. Everyone on staff is invited to participate, however participation is completely optional. Our family has a single mom and three boys ages 17, 12, and 8. Like past years, the children have wish lists, however unlike past years the boys have asked for items that exceed the limit we are supposed to spend on them ($50) such as bikes, and I do not expect staff to provide three bicycles for the family. They have also asked for cold weather items such as hats, gloves, and boots. If you wish to purchase one of these cold weather items let me know and I will give you the child’s sizes. I have some sizes for shirts and pants as well, but not for all three children. The mother in the family has also asked for kitchen items, which you may wish to donate. Items should be placed next to my desk or on my chair. You do not need to stick to the wish list, if you choose you may purchase items like candy, DVDs, favorite books, gift cards for music. You may also donate money by cash or check which will be used to buy a grocery gift card to Woodman’s or additional items on the wish lists. I do my best to ensure that each child has the same number of gifts.

Any monetary amount (as little as a dollar!) would be welcomed.

A few guidelines:
· Please do not wrap the gifts.
· You may provide gift wrap.
· We are asked not to spend more than $50.00 total on any child.
· The family will receive a grocery store gift card.
· Gifts must be turned in to Ellen Jepson by Tuesday December 13th by noon.
· Please bring any items you have purchased to Ellen and place them next to my desk or on my chair.
· You may donate cash or write a check (payable to Ellen Jepson) which will be used to purchase additional items.
· Any questions, speak to Ellen in the Children’s Section!

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

New Employees

Please welcome our new Young Adult Librarian and congratulations to our new Assistant Supervisor in Public Services.

Last Chance Flu Clinic - December 8th

The flu can be a serious disease especially in high risk populations. Even healthy adults often get the flu and spread it to family, friends and co-workers. Receiving the flu vaccine is one of the best ways to protect you and your loved ones from influenza.

As in years past, the flu vaccine is available at no cost to all elected officials, employees, spouses and their children (children must be at least 9 years of age or older).

Click here for a flyer with more information
Click here for the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)
Click here for a copy of the consent form

ETF Group Appointment Session Locally

The Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds is offering retirement Group Appointment sessions in the Appleton, Oshkosh, and Fond du Lac areas. I am writing to you to ask if you would forward this information to your staff. The next available appointments are on Wednesday, December 14 at 1:30PM or Thursday, December 15 at 10:00AM. Future dates and locations beginning in January are found here: http://www.etf.wi.gov/members/eastcentral.htm

To attend one of the sessions, a Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) participant is required to have both an appointment and their retirement packet in hand upon arrival to the session. To sign up for an appointment or request a retirement estimate, one can do so by calling the ETF call center at 1-877-533-5020. (IMPORTANT: Getting a retirement packet from ETF does NOT obligate one to retire in the WRS. The participant simply has their application and packet in case they do decide to retire sometime over the coming year.)

Any participants who are within one year of their minimum retirement age in the WRS (age 50 for protectives, age 55 for non-protectives) are welcome to contact our Department at 1-877-533-5020 to request a retirement packet.

ETF has tailored Group Appointments for members planning (or considering) to retirement. Topics covered include the retirement annuity (pension), health insurance, life insurance, return-to-work rules, etc. The Group Appointments offer a participant the opportunity to ask questions of knowledgeable, experienced ETF staff.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the number below.

Thank you, Diane Vittone, Trust Funds Specialist State of WI Dept of Employee Trust Funds Member & Employer Services Bureau - Outreach & Education Section Phone: (608) 266-3829 Fax: (608) 267-4549

This Week's Payroll

Reminder, with the Thanksgiving holiday falling on payday, funds will not be available in your banking account until Friday, November 25, 2011. Thank you.

2012 Medical/Dental Insurance & Flex Spending Enrollment

All City employees MUST complete their medical, dental, and flex spending election for 2012 online. You will have the ability to make changes to your election as many times as necessary between now and December 2nd at 4:30 PM. If you have any questions about the medical/dental insurance or the flex spending program, please contact Melody Rank at 832-6455.

Appleton Public Library employees please click here to begin your selection process. Click here for instructions on logging into the intranet.

This system will only work if you are signed into the computer as yourself. Please verify that your own username appears in the upper right hand of the computer screen. This ensures that the election is being made on your login account. If you are on someone else's computer, you must log them off and sign in under your own account in order for the election process to work for you.

Wisconsin Concealed Carry

As you may be aware, the new Wisconsin Concealed Carry Law goes into effect starting today, November 1, 2011. To help address questions that you may have, we have attached a Question & Answer sheet that provides details about how the new law will impact our organization and staff.

Weight Watchers is Coming!

The City is holding a Weight Watchers PointsPlus program start up meeting on November 2nd at 1:00 p.m. at the Police Department. For more information please contact Leanne Wilson at (920) 832-5580 or leanne.wilson@appleton.org. A larger image of the flyer has been attached.

Impact Survey Results

From Thursday September 29th to Monday, October 24th the Appleton Public Library conducted an online survey to collect information about how our patrons use the library’s computers and Internet connection and how this service makes a difference in their lives. This information will help the library evaluate our current services and to communicate the value of public access computing. The IMPACT Survey collects data across the following areas: general use of library and online resources, civic engagement, eBusiness, eCommerce, Education, eGovernment, employment, health & wellness, and social inclusion.

The results of the survey as well as how patrons used library and internet connections for any other purposes and suggestions for how computer and internet connections could be improved can be found on the "other links" column on the intranet.

Healthsmart Fall 2011 Newsletter

The Fall 2011 Healthsmart newsletter is now available. Check it out.

UHC Representative Monthly Meeting Change

Every month Drew from United Health Care visits either City Hall or MSB. During the month of October he will be at City Hall. However, the date on the departmental posters has changed. His scheduled visit on Thursday, October 20 has been changed to Wednesday, October 19. If you have any questions on your medical plan or questions on the new HSA plan for next year, please feel free to stop and see Drew. He will be in the HR conference room from 12:30 - 2:30 on 10/19/11.

Flu Clinic - Thursday, October 20th 2:30-5:30 p.m. Appleton East High School

The next flu clinic is Thursday, October 20th from 2:30-5:30 p.m. at Appleton East High School in the new gym.

New Employees

Please welcome our new Marketing Assistant, Children's Library Assistant and Public Services Library Assistant.

Thank You for Your Great Customer Service!

National Customer Service Week is October 3-7. We want to recognize those employees who continually go 'above and beyond' to provide great customer service to our residents and visitors, especially those employees at our front-line customer service desks. You represent the City well, and your ongoing dedication to serving our community is appreciated. Thank You!

Semi-Annual Enrollment and Review of Deferred Compensation Program

The week of October 24 – October 31, 2011, your Deferred Compensation representative, Tom Jones, will be here to conduct the semi-annual enrollment and review of our Deferred Compensation Program. Click here for schedule.

Impact Survey

From Thursday September 29th to Monday, October 24th the Appleton Public Library will be conducting an online survey to collect information about how our patrons use the library’s computers and Internet connection and how this service makes a difference in their lives. This information will help the library evaluate our current services and to communicate the value of public access computing. The IMPACT Survey collects data across the following areas: general use of library and online resources, civic engagement, eBusiness, eCommerce, Education, eGovernment, employment, health & wellness, and social inclusion.

The University of Washington, with generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has extended the benefits of the U.S. IMPACT Study patron web survey by making it available to all public libraries to use in their own data collection, planning, evaluation, and advocacy efforts. Through the survey website, our library also gains access to new tools to help us communicate the value of public access technology.

Our patrons will access the online survey through buttons on our public access computer workstations, the library website and paper copies of the survey will be available throughout the Library. If you need a paper copy, here is the link. Patrons must be 14 years or older to complete the survey. The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete, is completely anonymous, and is available in English and Spanish.

A Life Changing Opportunity from your Health Smart Team

Your Health Smart Team would like to bring you WeightWatchers At Work! Click here for more details.

THE POWER OF GROUP SUPPORT AND THE CONVENIENCE AT WORK! FRIENDS AND FAMILY WELCOME TOO!

The At Work series is delivered in a 17 week series of meetings at the reduced rate of $175.00 (only $10.89/week). Included with this package are 19 weeks of FREE eTools, WW’s internet weight loss support tool. WeightWatchers offers an EZ 3-part payment option for member’s convenience (3 monthly installments)

Weigh-Ins and Personal discussions in meetings are held in confidence. To view the Walk to Win prizes please click here.

Got the blues? You are not alone.

Have you ever felt like you are the only one who is sad in a world of happy people? Everyone experiences stress, sadness and anxiety from time to time – it's part of life. These feelings often happen when you lose a job, children move away from home, during divorce, with a death in the family, or during retirement. But when changes in mood and behavior interfere with one’s ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities, it could be a sign of depression.

National Depression Screening Day is on October 6, 2011. To observe this event, ERC Assist would like to give you the opportunity to take a free, anonymous questionnaire to screen for depression. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms go to ERC's website at http://www.assisterc.com/ and look for the link on our home page under Featured Topic. If you prefer to meet personally with a counselor you may contact ERC Assist at 1-800-222-8590 for a free private consultation.

City of Appleton Employee Flu Clinic

The Annual City of Appleton Employee Influenza (Flu) Clinic is coming soon! The flu can be a serious disease especially in high risk populations. Even healthy adults often get the flu and spread it to family, friends and co-workers. Receiving the flu vaccine is one of the best ways to protect you and your loved ones from influenza.

As in years past, the flu vaccine is available at no cost to all elected officials, employees, spouses and their children (children must be at least 9 years of age or older).

Click here for a flyer with more information

Click here for the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)

Click here for a copy of the consent form

Insurance Meetings On 2012 Changes

Employees and their spouses are encourages to attend any of the following meetings to learn about the changes to the medical plan options for 2012. Registration is requested but not mandatory. Please email lindsey.hotchkiss@appleton.org or call 832-6458 by September 16 to make your reservation. For the 2012 insurance meeting flyer, please click here.

Monday, September 19
11:00 -12:30 - Library lower level
3:00 - 4:30 - City Hall 6th floor A&B
6:00 - 7:30 - Police station lower level

Wednesday, September 21
1:00 - 2:30 - Municipal Services Building

Thursday, September 22
9;00 - 10:30 - City Hall 6th floor A&B

Friday, September 23
2:00 - 3:30 - Library lower level

The City's open enrollment will occur November 14 - December 2. These meetings will help prepare you to make your medical plan decisions for the 2012 year. Police, Fire and Valley Transit union employees are exempt from changes in 2012 but are welcome to attend any session to learn about the new plan option.

High usage prescription drugs by volume are outlined here with 100% of the true costs listed

New Public Services Supervisor

Please welcome our new Public Services Supervisor.

Walk to Win 2011

On your mark, get set, go! The 2011 Walk-to-Win Challenge is getting started. See the attached flyer for further details. Hurry! Contact your department coordinator so you can get signed up and start right away

2012 Insurance Changes Informational Meetings

There will be informational meetings to learn about the changes to the medical plan options for 2012. Please see the attached flyer.

WRS Retirement Contributions

Starting with this payroll, the employee portion of your WRS retirement contributions are deducted from your wages. This deduction is 5.8% (or 6.65% for elected officials) of your gross wages and is deducted pre-tax. If you have any questions about your deduction, please contact Michelle at 832-6438.

APD Fall Hunter Safety Class

The Appleton Police Department will be hosting our Fall Hunter Safety class on Wed. Sept. 28th, Thur. Sept. 29th, and Mon. Oct. 3rd. from 4:30 pm- 9:00 pm each night.

Our class will be posted on the DNR web page today and we usually fill up rather quickly. If you or anyone you know would like to get into the class let me know and I'll get you/them signed up. I will need the following information:

NAME (Full)
DOB
ADDRESS
PHONE #
DNR CUSTOMER ID # (call 1-888-936-7463)

Classes are at the APD.

Anyone interested can call or email me 920-832-5548 tom.poss@appleton.org

Newest Issue of FAQ's - Transition Team

The newest edition of Frequently Asked Questions addresses the Transition Team's proposal and its impact on employees. Click here for more information.

Valley Transit Announces Return of Lunchtime Live!

Valley Transit, Appleton Downtown Inc. and Heid music are pleased to present the return of Lunchtime Live! every Friday in August and September from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Join us for FREE live concerts by local musicians in front of Valley Transit's Downtown Appleton Transit Center (next to the Appleton Public Library). Bring your lunch, grab takeout from a local downtown restaurant or purchase lunch on-site from local vendors.

August - music by Sly Joe & The Smooth Operators. Food vendor - Looy's Dogs
September - music by Galynne Riggenbach. Food vendor - Kangaroostaurant

In case of inclement weather, concerts will be held inside the Downtown Appleton Transit Center. For additional information please visit the Valley Transit page.

Worried About Money? FISC Has The Answers

Everywhere we turn, we hear about financial issues--from the recent stock market changes to the upcoming State-required WRS contributions--and wonder how they will impact us personally. Particularly during these tight budget times, it's easy to worry about money. FISC is a free community resource that can help people of all income levels with a wide variety of financial concerns and questions. Below are the details of upcoming free workshops that they are offering to the general public, along with a brochure that explains what FISC is, and what they can offer you or someone you know.

Building Good Credit

Planning For Financial Freedom / The Power Of Money Seminar

City of Appleton Server Downtime For Upgrade

The server that houses the City of Appleton's intranet, trackit, transit fleet, blackberry messaging (as well as any other services or databases housed on this server) will be taken down on August 10th starting at noon for approximately twenty-four hours due to a server upgrade that will be taking place.

Appleton City Band Concert & Recognition Of Director Ike Spangenberg

The closing concert of the 2011 summer Appleton City Band concert season is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16, 7:00 p.m. at Pierce Park, rain or shine. The Appleton City Band is directed by Mr. Ike Spangenberg. This will also be Mr. Spangenberg's final concert as he is retiring as conductor after 45 years of providing people with the sounds of music. Cake and ice cream will be served following the concert. Come to the concert to hear some special music and recognize Mr. Spangenberg. Bring your own lawn chair and come early as parking is limited.

Additional Transition Team Session Added - August 15

Update: An additional Transition Team session has been added. To register, e-mail Lindsey Hotchkiss or call x6458 by August 3rd (e-mail is preferred). The details of the session are as follows: August 15 from 1:15 - 2:45 p.m. City Hall 6 A/B.

Budget Repair Bill (BRB) Frequently Asked Questions

Attached please find the fourth issue of the 'Budget Repair Bill Frequently Asked Questions', which includes information on the effective date of WRS employee contributions. Click here to see the details. If you have questions about the BRB, please continue to forward them to your Department Director or e-mail humanresources@appleton.org so we can include them in our next issue.

Transition Team Update - Proposed Changes To Employee Benefits/Policies

As you may recall, the Mayor appointed a Transition Team to discuss the impact of the State's Budget Repair Bill on our organization. The Transition Team has created a proposal that will be going to the HR Committee in early August, including recommended changes in employee benefits and policies. We will hold six informational sessions for employees (who are not under a current collective bargaining agreement) to learn about the team's proposal. Click here for more details. Benefited staff should work with their supervisors to attend one of these sessions.

The Health Smart Team Presents MASSAGE-A-THON!

Are you feeling stressed??? No time to relax? We understand that with everything that is going on around us, we sometimes just need a moment to relax and rejuvenate….......So…………..The Health Smart Team is excited to host an opportunity for YOU to relax during the work day! The Health Smart Team has partnered with Revive Your Body in Balance LLC to provide employees an opportunity to reduce muscle tension, calm the nervous system and increase circulation while boosting energy and alertness. You’ll feel relaxed, refreshed and ready to return to work. For more information on the MASSAGE-A-THON click here. To signup for the event click here.

Budget Repair Bill (BRB) Frequently Asked Questions

The third issue of the 'Budget Repair Bill (BRB) Frequently Asked Questions' is now available by clicking here. If you have questions about the BRB, please continue to forward them to your Department Director or e-mail humanresources@appleton.org so we can include them in our next issue.

UHC Pharmacy Benefits

As you are aware, UHC proactively manages our pharmacy benefit. As part of this management, UHC has benefit updates taking effect on July 1, 2011. Please see attached for detailed information of up tiering, down tiering and new exclusions, etc. These updates represent a small percentage of all prescriptions – no medications in the top 50. Among these updates are some medications that will be excluded from benefit coverage. A majority of these medication exclusions have minimal use so few employees will be impacted. UHC realizes any impact may be difficult, so they only make the decision to exclude based on clinical evidence and when equally effective alternatives are available.

Mileage Rate For Travel Reimbursement

The current IRS mileage reimbursement rate is 51 cents per mile, but will be increasing to 55.5 cents per mile, effective 7/1/11. For travel completed before 7/1/11, please use the current rate of 51 cents per mile

Health Smart May-June Newsletter

The May/June Healthsmart newsletter is now available. Check it out.

New Employee

Please welcome APL's new Children's Services Supervisor.

23rd Annual MASH Blood Drive - Wednesday, June 29

23rd Annual MASH Blood Drive - Wednesday, June 29. Free brats and Dilly bars. Click here for futher details.

CIGNA Insurance Benefits

With our carrier change to CIGNA effective 4/1/11, everyone who has term life insurance provided by the City has the following benefits available to them through this carrier. Please read the attached documents detailing these benefits you can get from CIGNA at any time. They are: Will Preparation, Secure Travel, Health Rewards and Assurance.

Free Zumba Classes

The Appleton Parks and Recreation Department is kicking off the summer season with a free week of Zumba classes. Classes are held daytime, weeknights and Saturdays. Check out this flyer for more information.

New Employee

Please welcome APL's new Library Page.

HealthSmart Starting Right Program Winners

Congratulations to both Janet Ponschock from the Library and Randey Felton from DPW for being the winners of the HealthSmart Starting Right program. Both Janet and Randey set and achieved their wellness goals and are the winners of $500 and $250 respectively. Please congratulate them.

Budget Repair Bill (BRB) Frequently Asked Questions

The second issue of the 'Budget Repair Bill (BRB) Frequently Asked Questions' is now available by clicking here. If you have questions about the BRB, please continue to forward them to your Department Director or e-mail humanresources@appleton.org so we can include them in our next issue.

Optional Life, Voluntary STD and LTD Insurance

Everyone recently received a packet of information regarding the ability to open enroll in any of these three products through June 10th. Clarification - if you don't want anything to change, you do NOT need to do anything. HR does not need any paperwork back unless you are requesting to add or change coverage at this time. We do encourage everyone to come to one of the 3 informational meetings to learn about the benefits included in these products.

2011 Butterfly Festival

The 2011 Butterfly Festival will be held on Saturday, June 18th from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at City Park. $10 per family includes face painting, crafts, kids games, food & beverages as well as one live butterfly. A group butterfly release will take place at 10:45 AM. (Additional butterflies can be purchased as well.) Appleton Health Department proudly supports this event, as all proceeds from this day benefit Parent Connection, a child abuse prevention program serving the Fox Valley area. Come join the fun and support a worthy cause. For more information, visit www.familyservicesnew.org.

Employee Benefits Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who completed the Employee Benefits Survey. We had a tremendous response, with 447 employees returning a completed survey. Here is a link to the survey results. In the summary, you will see:

1. A copy of the original survey (for your reference)
2. Quantitative results for 12 questions (please note: not everyone answered every question so the responses to the quantitative questions will not always add up to 447.)
3. Qualitative responses for 4 questions (organized by themes).

If you have questions about the survey results, please share them with your Department Director or e-mail humanresources@appleton.org. Your question will be shared with the Transition Team for a response.

The Transition Team is now reviewing the survey results to determine next steps. As the team moves ahead, we will continue to provide updates through your Department Director and future issues of Frequently Asked Questions (which will be posted on the Intranet as they are published).

ERC Workshop - Expanding Leadership Capacity - What is Your Mission?

Employee Resource Center (ERC) would like to invite you and the leaders of your organization to our upcoming Leader Forum, “Expanding Leadership Capacity – What is Your Mission?” This workshop will look at the role mission plays in expanding leadership capacity. Please see the attached invitation for dates and times along with additional information, and a registration form for your organization. We look forward to seeing you there.

Preventive Care

UnitedHealthcare launched a Preventive Care web-based tool (www.uhcpreventivecare.com) that provides age- and gender-specific preventive-care recommendations that enable people to better manage their health. Users can set e-mail reminders for any of their recommended preventive screenings or immunizations and, working with their doctors, use this knowledge to make informed medical decisions. They can view, print and e-mail specific preventive-health guidelines and access useful tips, tools, resources and materials to support their overall health. The tool is completely mobile-enabled for use on Blackberry, iPhone and iPhone devices, among others. This is a wonderful resource for anyone to use, regardless if they have coverage through UHC or not.

Rain Barrel Workshop - May 14, 2011

Interested in building your own Rain Barrel? See flyer for information and registration for the upcoming workshop hosted by the Fox River Academy Environmental Charter School.

ETF Statement of Benefits Distribution

All employees will soon receive their annual Statement of Benefits, a year-end summary of their Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) retirement account information. This year as part of a pilot program, this statement will be mailed to you at home directly from ETF. The statement includes such information as the previous year’s earnings and service, contributions to the account, the rate of interest applied, separation and death benefit amounts, beneficiary information and retirement projections. If you don’t receive your Statement in the next couple of weeks, or if it contains incorrect information, contact Michelle in payroll at 832-6438 or Melody in benefits at 832-6455.

Reid Golf Course

REID GOLF COURSE OPENS for the 2011 season on Wednesday, April 13 at noon. Passes and coupons are available for purchase in the clubhouse. Stacey Gassner, Clubhouse Manager, has a well-stocked pro shop and concession operation ready for the new golf season.

Get Up and Ride!

Price of gas or recent health assessment getting your attention? Join me in participating in Kimberly Clark's Scot Brand "Get Up and Ride" initiative promoting biking to work. This is a challenge to see what company in the Fox Valley can generate the greatest percentage of employees riding to work and the most miles ridden. The program will kick off May 16th. Incentive prizes will be awarded randomly each month and to teams at the end of the contest based on top mileage and participation. Challenge yourself and your colleagues! Please e-mail Lisa Remiker if you are interested - GET UP AND RIDE!

Appleton Police Department Community Blood Drive - Tuesday, April 26

The Appleton Police Department will be holding a blood drive for The Community Blood Center Inc. on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. The drive will start at 8 a.m. and concludes at 11 a.m. The mobile blood unit will be set up at the Appleton Police Department.

If you are interested in donating on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, contact Sgt. Dave Lund by e-mail or leave a voicemail (832-5929 ext. 9180) to schedule an appointment. Anyone that donated on or before 03/01/11 is eligible to attempt donation at this drive.

Please assist us in meeting our goal of 23 donors for this drive. Our prior drives have came up very short, resulting in the reduced number of hours for this drive. Friends, family, neighbors and co-workers are welcome.

Deferred Compensation Program

Tom Jones, our rep for deferred comp will be visiting our locations the week of April 4th. Attached is his schedule of times/locations.

HealthSmart March/April Newsletter

Your HealthSmart March/April newsletter is now available. Check it out.

New Employee

Please welcome our new Assistant Director.

The Parks and Recreation Department is moving!!

The Appleton Parks and Recreation Department will be moving to City Hall effective Monday, March 7. The public will be able to register for recreation programs, reserve park pavilions, obtain pool passes and receive other Department services at the Customer Service Center located on the 1st floor of City Hall.

I Love My Library Dinner Rescheduled - February 27

Due to last Sundays snowstorm, the I Love My Library Dinner has been rescheduled for Sunday, February 27. The event will take place at Riverview Country Club with the social reception and silent auction beginning at 5:00 p.m. and dinner and program at 6:30 p.m.

Annual Employee Health Screening

Once again, the Health Smart Team is sponsoring the annual City of Appleton Employee Health Screening. If you are a City employee and are eligible for the City health insurance program, you and your spouse can participate in this FREE screening and counseling session.* The enrollment deadline date is March 4, 2010 by 4:30 p.m.

As in past years, this confidential screening will consist of:

A complete cholesterol panel (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides)
A test for diabetes (blood sugar)
A test for liver and kidney disease
A health questionnaire and body composition assessment
Biometric assessments (height, weight, blood pressure)
Free results counseling & summary report

For addition information click here for summary.

Fire personnel who receive an NFPA physical are ineligible this free screening& incentive; however, they remain eligible for the free coaching session & incentive. Spouses remain eligible for the free screening.

2011 Required Training Online Registration Now Available!

The 2011 required training classes have now been scheduled (see 2011 Training Calendar). You can now register online for the 2011 Required Training! Please note: if you are in one of the groups below, your departmental training coordinator should have registered you for the class. (If you are in doubt about whether you are registered, please contact your departmental training coordinator.)

Fire (shift employees): Ryan Weyers
Library (all staff): supervisor will schedule staff
MSB (field employees): Erick Cardew
Police (all staff): Lisa Schleinz
Valley Transit (all staff): Shoua Lee
Water & Wastewater (all staff): Kristy Veldman
Facilities: Maureen Hanley

If you are not in one of these groups, please click here to go directly to the new online registration for the 2011 General Employee or Supervisory training. If you run into issues with your registration, please contact Lindsey Hotchkiss at ext. 6458or lindsey.hotchkiss@appleton.org.

Spring Hunter Safety Classes

The APBA will be hosting a Spring Hunter Education Class on Thursday March 3rd, Friday March 4th, and Saturday March 5th. The times will be Thur. & Fri. 5:00pm - 9:00pm and Sat. 9:00am -1:00pm. The classes will be held at the APD in the lower level training rooms. Our class will be posted on the DNR website on this Thursday and our classes fill within a week or two. If you or someone you know is interested have them contact Tom Poss at 832-5548 to reserve a spot. I will need the following information

Name (First, Middle, Last)
DOB
Address
Phone Number
DNR Customer ID Number

If you need additional information please contact one of the HE Instructors: Pat Geenen, Chad Allaback, Tom Poss, Retired Lt Rick Nilson, Retired Lt Mike Kneeland, or up and coming instructors Derrick Danoski, Bill McCormick, GCPD Det. Brad Kuehl. If you have interest in becoming an instructor or just want to help we are always looking for people.

New Employee

Please welcome the new Friends Data Assistant.

Healthsmart January/February Newsletter

Your HealthSmart January/February newsletter is now available. Check it out.

Park and Rec on Facebook

Check this out! The Appleton Parks and Recreation Department has a Facebook page!

Click the "Like" button after you click on the Facebook page link below to receive posts on upcoming events, leagues and instructional programs or to view pictures of some of our facilities and program participants in action!

Be the first to hear about what is new through the Parks and Recreation Department.

Pass this along to your friends so they can stay informed, as well.

It’s an easy and fun way to keep it touch so join us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Appleton-Parks-and-Recreation-Department/165063366871752

2011 City Maps Available

2011 City Maps are here and available to be picked up from GIS. Persons located outside of City Hall that would like maps can contact a GIS staff member to make arrangements for map delivery or pick up at 832-6468.

Payroll Notice

Due to the recent signing of a tax relief bill by the President, you will notice an increase in your net pay this pay period. This is due to the 2% decrease of social security taxes withheld. This decrease will be in effect for the tax year of 2011.

The 2011 Federal tax tables have been received and will go into effect with the second payroll of January. With these new tax tables, you will see an increase in the Federal taxes withheld. 

Please contact Michelle Burton at 832-6438 with any questions.

"New" home page

Forgive this long posting...

We will be going live soon with some modifications to the home page. This page doesn't make dramatic changes to the existing site, and has nearly identical content to the existing home page. What has changed is how and where we are displaying information.

http://www.apl.org/indexcr.html

This page will be less text-oriented and try to tell more stories with graphics. It will contain a slideshow that features a mix of upcoming important events, and some of our "core" services we want to promote. For example we will have core slides for:

• Friends
• Volunteers
• FB page
• WIFI
• Databases
• Recurring program series
• Etc...

These core slides will rotate in and out as we have space in the slideshow or as they are seasonally relevant.

Below the slideshow you will notice blurbs similar to what you see on "what's new" currently. We will be referring to these as "stories." The slideshow and stories are in the center of the page to give them the most prominent positioning. The stories are fed through a blogger blog that staff will be asked to contribute to. The things that go in the blogger blog are decided by a subset of the marketing committee that Michael has assembled.


If you have ideas for slides or stories please let Michael Kenney know. He has a calendar of upcoming programs which helps us find places where we need to focus on specific important events (for example, the book festival, SLP, etc...) - this calendar also gives us the ability to see where we may have some "down time" in the calendar to rotate in more of the core slides.


The left column is very similar to what you are used to with the existing page.

The right column features a feed from the calendar with brief listings. Visitors to the site can click through to the more complete entries.

Please take some time to get familiar with the page before we go live with it. We would like to put it out for the public in the next week or so.

Sara has done an amazing job on this and I hope you will enjoy it.

New IRS mileage and Travel Per Diem Rates

Per U.S. General Service Administration guidance, the mileage reimbursement rate has been increased from $0.50 per mile to $0.51 per mile, effective 1/1/11. Please use the correct rate on your 2011 travel expense forms