Our UCMA conference is going well. Sometimes I worry about the quality of some training opportunities I have, but this one has been really good. Yesterday, we heard from Sheryl Scully, the former city manager of San Antonio about her efforts to get the city away from the brink of bankruptcy and back to a AAA bond rating, and to get ongoing expenses in line with revenue projections. She came to a city that had very little fiscal discipline and had recently had elected officials convicted of taking bribes. One signal of the problem was the number of “audit findings” of internal control issues. In Provo, we usually have no findings, or occasionally one or two. San Antonio routinely had a dozen or more. That changed once Sheryl’s reforms were put in place. I know it sounds a bit geeky, but these are the kinds of stories I love to hear and learn from.
My panel on balancing between micromanagement and zero oversight went well, I think. My panelists were managers in Orem, Heber, and Farmington. I learned a lot from their experiences and shared some of my thoughts as well.
Another good session was on what cities are doing to recruit and retain excellent employees in our current labor market. The city manager from Washington City facilitated the discussion, and there were lots of good ideas I am excited to share with our HR and executive teams.
UPCOMING CITY EVENTS
NEWS YOU CAN USE
- Spam is coming to get you via email, social media and your phone like never before according to axios reports from the spam-blocking app RoboKiller. It found nearly 12 billion spam texts were sent to U.S. cellphone users in March — a rate of nearly 42 texts for every person in the country. That volume is a huge jump from the 1 billion spam texts sent out in April 2021, according to RoboKiller data. Phone calls have also increased, and according to YouMail, 25.4 million came to Utah in March alone. That's 11 calls per person.
- A backyard flock of chickens in Utah County was recently diagnosed with the avian influenza. There is no immediate threat to people, officials say, but those with poultry should watch for symptoms in their birds.
- Legendary basketball analyst Dick Vitale has been declared free of cancer following months of chemotherapy treatments. In August, the 82-year-old Vitale announced he was undergoing operations to remove melanoma and shortly after revealed he had been diagnosed with lymphoma.
- The death toll has risen to more than 440 in historic South African floods, with 41,000 people affected and thousands of homes destroyed.
YOUR VOICE
Have any exciting news? Birthdays, babies, weddings, fur-babies, graduations? Share about it in the section on the right --> and upload pics below!
UPLOAD PICTURES HERE!EMPLOYEE / DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHT
We would love to celebrate the promotion of Fire Paramedic Jeanie Atherton to Fire Captain. She will serve in the Fire Prevention Division as the Community Risk Reduction Deputy Fire Marshal. Jeanie has served with distinction as a firefighter/paramedic, and in the last several years has taken on additional responsibilities a part of the PIO team, public education and recruiting efforts. She recently received a Master’s Degree from Grand Canyon University. Jeanie has established strong working relationships in all departments of the city and is highly respected for her abilities, drive and kindness. She was chosen to lead the community risk reduction effort in the city, and is off to an impressive start.
FUN STUFF
Have you ever wondered how movie studios decide what movies to make and which ones will make tons of money? I think we all know those decisions don’t always work out. This little Studio C sketch imagines what Disney chairman Bob Iger thinks about the latest idea from his producers.
Wayne
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.