Agenda Packets - 1985/05/28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Trc ning Track �� 1 rEw5�t May 27,1985 0 Kettering This summer, Kettering, Ohio (Robert Walker, CM), will begin the sixth year of a Cuts Costs volunteer personnel program that city otflcIaIs credit wlth saving thousands of withdollars and providing resources for activities and services that would not have been completed without volunteers. This year more than 25,000 volunteer hours Volunteer were contributed to the Area Citizens Together in Volunteer Endeavors (ACTIVE) Personnel program. The program coordinator used ICNA's training package on managing volunteer personnel to develop ACTIVE. Nearly 250 Kettering area residents are Involved In the program, completing assignments that can last an hour or on -going assignments that are completed on a regular basis. Kettering used volunteer personnel to assemble service directories and prepare special writing projects In the city manager's offlcel to research insurance specifications and complete a physical property Inventory In the finance offlcel to clean and repair weapons and deliver neighborhood water newsletters In the police department; and for other activities In nearly all operating departments. City staff estimate that the program has saved more than $500,000 since It began In 1979. The program Is organized through a coordinator --a paid city employee who works with department heads and supervisors to Identify activities where volunteer personnel can be used and prepares written job descriptions. Local media and city publications are used to recruit new volunteers. Working through the coor- dinator, each department provides training and supervision and conducts periodic and annual performance evaluations. A description of the ACTIVE program, along with two handbooks that describe Kettering's approach to starting a volunteer program and guidelines for developing volunteer assignments and supervising volunteers, are available through Joyce Conner, Volunteer Coordinator, City of Kettering, 3600 Shroyer Road, Kettering, Ohio 45429, 513/296-2433, Scottsbluff Councllmembers joined the city manager and department heads from Scottsbluff, Holds Neb. (Frank Koehler, CM), in a full -day training program that helped the group III-HouseIdentify basic organizational values and a mission statement for the city. City staff designed and conducted the training program, using materials and group Excellence exercises from ICHA's Excellence In Local Government Management training pack- Progratn age. The program began with counclimembers and management staff assessing Scottsbluff Is current services and programs In light of eight excellence criteria. This exercise also helped to bring to the surface areas where siected officials and management staff differed regarding service levels and the practices used to provide programs. From here, they worked together to identify values both used In setting policy and taking action, and to develop the city's first overall mission statement, They also Identified areas and activities that needed Improvement, such as transmitting organizational values and the mission statement to new employees, notifying citizens of upcoming council agenda Items, and encouraging innovation and creativity within the organization. Staff said the program also gave the city's top elected and appointed officials an oppor- tunity to point out the many programs and services where "we are doing great." More than 800 local governments have purchased ICMA's excellence training pack- age In the past year. The package was developed in conjunction with the Center for Excellence In Local Government, In Palo Alto, Calif. For more Information about Scottsbluff's In-house excellence training program, contact Linda Witko, executive assistant, City Hail, Scottsbluff, Neb. 69361, 308/632-4136. For Information about the ICMA excellence training package, contact Charles Schwabe, ICMA's director of training at 202/626-4627. 0 4..