County Government Week is Coming

Each year during the month of April, the National Association of Counties (NACo) invites counties across the U.S. to observe National County Government Week. This year, the theme for County Government Week is "Protecting Our Children."

The celebration will have three parts, employee appreciation, employee participation and a community awareness campaign. Help remind your fellow employees about the 2008 National County Government Week programs by displaying this poster.

Activities are planned throughout the week to show appreciation for all Wake County employees. These events will include snack giveaways. More information is available in the next story, "Employee Appreciation Week."

Employees are encouraged to show their support for all Wake County programs that protect children by wearing either the County logo or the logo colors of cobalt and copper on Friday, April 11.

The community awareness portion will focus on all the ways the County protects children, including law enforcement, protective services, wellness programs, environmental protection and education.

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Employee Appreciation Week

Many thanks to all Wake County employees for the outstanding work that you do for our citizens! In recognition and celebration for your hard work and excellent outcomes, the week of April 6 to 12, 2008, will be proclaimed as Wake County Government Employee Appreciation Week. The following is a schedule listing this year's activities.

Wake County Government Employee Appreciation Week
Schedule of Events
April 6-12, 2008

• Tuesday, April 8 – Concessions (popcorn, candy bars and soft drinks) at the Human Services Sunnybrook Center, G35 A, B & C, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 9 – Concessions (popcorn, candy bars and soft drinks) in the Human Resources Training Center, Room 209, Wake County Office Building, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 10 – Concessions (popcorn, candy bars and soft drinks) at the Human Services Swinburne Center, Room 2132, 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Friday-Sunday, April 11-13 – Wake County employees and family members have a special invitation to attend a Carolina Mudcats baseball game. Vouchers will be distributed to all departments and employees will be able to select which game they want to attend. Games begin at 7:15 p.m. on April 11, 6:15 p.m. on April 12, and 2 p.m. on April 13.

Employees who work in outlying areas and are not able to attend one of the concessions mentioned above will be given the same items by their respective supervisors, along with the employee appreciation gifts that all employees will receive. All items will be given to departments for distribution to their employees.

For more information, contact Sarah Harris at 856-6099.

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Message from the Manager

Greetings Wake County Employees,

Large and growing organizations such as ours are wise to keep an eye on structure and procedure in meeting their changing needs. Here in Wake County we do more than that - we have a process to assess current County operations in light of strengths, areas needing attention, and upcoming challenges and opportunities.

Deputy County Manager Joe Durham and I have recently begun such an assessment of organizational structure, and the County will be moving forward with some organizational transitions aimed at three primary objectives:

1. To be more responsive to the Board of Commissioners' priority goals and community issues.
2. To better position the organization to address pending and future issues as Wake County continues to grow in population, density and the complexity of public issues.
3. To better focus the organization on fiscal stewardship and performance measures, all while continuing to deliver the best in customer service.

We are currently recruiting an additional deputy county manager and making departmental assignments. The new deputy manager will oversee administrative/internal departments (such as Human Resources and General Services), while Joe Durham will oversee operational/external departments (such as Human Services and Planning). I will continue working with the Budget Office and the Department of Facilities Design and Construction, but please keep in mind that roles are interchangeable in the Manager's Office, and someone is always available to address the needs of the departments.

These decisions arrive on the heels of careful consideration and much discussion with the County's department heads as well as other members of the management team. We will be working with all staff members affected by these changes to make any transitions as smooth as possible.

We will continue to assess the County's organizational structure and will share future developments with you via Insights, so stay tuned.

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Acting U.S. Surgeon General Visits, Gives Award

Wake County Human Services staff met with acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., on Friday, March 28, 2008, at the Sunnybrook Public Health Center, Raleigh.

The acting Surgeon General was in Wake County to promote the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative, "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future." Dr. Galson met and had lunch with County health officials and community leaders, including Community Health Director Gibbie Harris and Human Services Director Ramon Rojano, before taking part in a trail walk with students and staff at Barwell Community Center in Raleigh.

Additional information on the Surgeon General's Initiative can be found at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/obesityprevention.html.

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Sheriff Partners with Army

The Wake County Sheriff's Office is working with the U.S. Army to help veterans find jobs. On Thursday, March 27, 2008, Sheriff Donnie Harrison signed an agreement to participate in the Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program.

As part of PaYS, the Sheriff's Office will interview qualified Army Veterans for jobs when they leave the armed forces. Sheriff Donnie Harrison says he believes many veterans have the skills and core values needed to become great deputies.

The goal of PaYS isn't just to help veterans find jobs, but also to reconnect America with the Army.

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Election Visitors

Wake County Board of Elections Director Cherie Poucher met with nine visitors from the Ukraine on Thursday, March 20, 2008. The visitors were invited to the United States under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. The program's focus is on the 2008 presidential primaries and election process.

Poucher discussed the responsibilities of the county boards of elections, including registering voters, conducting all elections, maintaining precincts and polling places as well as securing and training precinct officials on Election Day.

The visitors learned about preparations under way for the May primary election, including security measures needed throughout the election process, and participated in a demonstration of the M-100 optical scanner and AutoMark voting devices used in Wake County precincts on Election Day.

Their visit was arranged through the International Affairs Council in Raleigh.

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Kick the Gas Habit

Gas prices got you down? The lowest gas prices in Wake County are inching up to $3.30 a gallon for regular-grade gasoline. If your car gets 20 miles per gallon, and you drive 10 miles each way, that means you're spending at least $3.20 a day on gas alone. That doesn't include the entire cost of driving, which is estimated at $.505 per mile, or $10 per day, nor does it include the cost of parking.

How would you like to let someone else drive you to work for free, with no parking fees once you got there?

You can ride the Capital Area Transit, Triangle Transit, Durham's DATA and Cary's C-Tran for free. All you need to do is e-mail Mike Jennings, Program Coordinator, Environmental Services, mjennings@wakegov.com, or call Mike at 856-7447 and he will send you a GoPass. Check out the Trip Planner at http://www.gotriangle.org/ to see how you can get to work by bus.

If you're concerned that an emergency might happen during the day, which means you have to get home, check out Triangle Transit's Emergency Ride Home program – http://www.gotriangle.org/ERH/index.html If you take an alternative to driving alone, this program will get you home, either in a taxi, if you live within 20 miles of work, or in a rental car, if you live farther away.

If you would prefer to join a carpool or vanpool, go to http://www.gotriangle.org/ and see what might work for you. Wake County subsidizes Wake County employees who ride vanpools $30 per month.

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Second Motorsports Expo Finishes First

The results are in, and the Second Making Magic Motorsports Expo, held January 5, 2008, at Dorton Arena, was a huge victory for Wake County youth. The event raised more than $32,000 that will be used to directly benefit Making Magic, a program that sends kids to camp who would otherwise not have the opportunity to go.

Visitors to the Motorsports Expo were treated to an awesome display of horsepower, a giant children's corner hosted by AT&T and a wide variety of family entertainment.

The morning started in high gear with a donor breakfast and live auction. Wake County Commissioners Joe Bryan, Lindy Brown and Paul Coble attended the breakfast and thanked the guests for supporting Making Magic. Dr. Ramon Rojano, director of Wake County Human Services, also participated in the program.

Making Magic Camp Scholarship Applications for the 2008 camp season are due April 11. For more information about Making Magic Camp, please call Thomas Ray at 212-7835 or visit the Making Magic Alliance website at makingmagicalliance.org.

The Making Magic Alliance is a partnership between Wake County, the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund and local businesses and volunteers. A total of 390 youth went to camp during the summer of 2007.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Karen Brewer at 623-8618 or karen.brewer@wakegov.com.

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Spring Into Action: Volunteer for Spring Big Sweep

Tired of looking at litter? Want to do something about it?

Spring into action by volunteering for Spring Big Sweep! Litter cleanups are scheduled at 12 different waterways across Wake County – seven lakes, two streams, and one urban wetland. Events are scheduled for Saturdays between now and April 19. Supplies such as trash bags, gloves and data cards will be provided at each site.

To get involved, Wake County employees can find the Big Sweep list of dates and sites at: www.wakegov.com/water/conservation/bigsweep.htm. Events are listed chronologically by date, municipality and watershed.

Contact the zone captain at your preferred site to preregister or to verify suitability for children and/or adults.

Wake County Big Sweep is a six-way partnership between volunteers, town and city parks and agencies, Wake County's Environmental Services Department, the statewide nonprofit organization NC Big Sweep, Inc., and the international nonprofit The Ocean Conservancy.

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Help Prevent Child Abuse

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The goal is to reduce the number of children injured or killed by their caregivers, and Wake County proudly supports this initiative. Four mini-festivals are scheduled in April, each from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., to educate the public on how to recognize, report and prevent child abuse.

The following events are planned to share important child safety information with employees and the public:

• Eastern Regional Center, 1002 Dogwood Drive, Zebulon – April 7-11 (Car seat check Thursday, April 10, 1-3 p.m.)
• Northern Regional Center, 350 E. Holding Ave., Wake Forest – April 14-18 (Car seat check Thursday, April 17, 1-3 p.m.)
• Sunnybrook Public Health Center, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh – April 21-25 (Car seat check Thursday, April 24, 1-3 p.m.)
• Southern Regional Center, 130 N. Judd Parkway NE, Fuquay-Varina – April 28-May 2 (Car seat check Wednesday, April 30, 1-3 p.m.)

The County's Child Passenger Safety Team will check correct car seat installations as indicated.

For additional information about these or other child health and welfare programs in Wake County, please call 856-7551 or visit www.wakegov.com.

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Triangle Transit Authority Commuting Survey

Thanks to all Wake County employees who completed the Triangle Transit Authority commuting survey. We had great results - 608 employees took the survey.

This survey will help Wake County and Triangle Transit Authority understand how you get to work now, what barriers you have to taking an alternative to driving alone, and ideas you may have that would encourage you and others to use alternatives to driving alone.

As advertised, everyone who took the survey was eligible to receive a Target gift card. And the winners are:

• Nancy Walsh, Licensed Practical Nurse, Sunnybrook
• Nicole Shumaker, Board of Elections

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Get in Insights!

Insights is always looking for story ideas. Submit your suggestions to Insights@wakegov.com or call 856-7532. The next issue of Insights will come out April 14. Submissions are due by noon on Thursday, April 9.

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