Rise Together - Sept. 17, 2024

Spotlight on Policy

Fostering Transparency: Public Records

As a government entity, any records we create – whether it’s an email or written document – are available to any member of the public who requests it. In Ohio, the Public Records and Open Meetings laws, collectively known as the “Sunshine Laws,” give Ohioans access to government meetings and records. This is important to building trust with residents. 

The City has a Public Records Policy that outlines our responsibilities and the process to follow when a resident requests a public record. This helps ensure we comply with requests when we’re required to do so. Here are a few things to know about public records:  

  • Anyone can request a public record. 
  • Many documents are public records. 
  • It’s important to retain public records according to the Records Retention Policy. 
  • If you receive a public records request, share that with your section head as soon as possible so we can respond. Please don’t respond yourself. 

You can review the policy on the intranet for more details. Note, the intranet can be accessed within the City network. 

If you’re interested in learning about Ohio’s Sunshine laws, you can find information and resources such as training on the Ohio Attorney General’s website at OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Legal/Sunshine-Laws.

News and Information

Enroll in Credit Monitoring 

Cyber threats can come from any direction, whether it’s from the recent attack on the City of Columbus or any of the thousands of data breaches that have already occurred in 2024. Fortunately, there are steps you can take today to protect yourself and your loved ones from cyber criminals who are intent on accessing your data. 

The City of Columbus is now providing free Experian credit monitoring for two years for all Columbus residents and anyone who has provided their name or information to the City. To sign up, go to Columbus.gov/Cyber or call 833-918-5161; use the personal enrollment code that was mailed to your home earlier this summer, or use the code B129832. The deadline to enroll is Nov. 29, 2024. Service begins upon enrollment. 

Other ways you can protect yourself include: 

  • Change your passwords. 
  • Monitor your bank accounts and credit cards for unusual activity. 
  • Request a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 877-322-8228. 
  • Never give out personal information over the phone, email or by text.
  • Do not reply to emails asking for money or click on links you don’t recognize.

Visit Columbus.gov/Cyber for more information, including FAQs. Note: Columbus.gov can be accessed within the City network. 

DEI Lunch & Learn: The Story of Dos Hermanos 

Join the DEI Committee for a very special Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 12-1 p.m. as we’re joined by Lisa and Vicente Gutierrez, owners of Dos Hermanos, who will speak about their experience as minority-business owners. Lisa and Vicente grew their business from one taco truck into three brick-and-mortar locations, mobile food trucks and concession stands at different locations.

In addition to talking about the business side of things, Vicente will also talk about the Oaxacan roots that shape Dos Hermanos’ culinary delights. 

You won’t want to miss this free event, which will take place at 1111 East Broad St. in the Continental Room  – it comes complete with salsa and chips! Make sure you RSVP today! Note: This takes you to SmartSheet, which can be accessed within the City network.

If you have any questions, please contact Carlos Mojica at CDMojica@columbus.gov. We hope to see you there!

Getting Ready for Timeclocks: Sign Up for Training

We expect to begin using timeclocks next month. If you missed the manager and timekeeper training sessions in August, we have two additional trainings scheduled on Sept. 24:

  • Dayforce Manager (Scheduling) training is for managers and will cover how to set up schedules in Dayforce. 
  • Dayforce Timekeeper training is for staff who have been designated as timekeepers and will ensure staff are using the timeclocks. 

If you need to sign up for one or both of these sessions, please email Neisha Collins at NDCollins@columbus.gov. 

Events Search and Views Navigation

Event Views Navigation

This Month

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Fall Open House

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The Purge

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Teen Outdoor Day

Boxing Showdown

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Zombie Draft

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Senior Wellness Jamboree

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Key Dates

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. More details will be shared as they are set; please note that details may change.

September

Employee Health and Benefits Fair
Sept. 17  |  10 a.m.-4 p.m.  |  City Commons, 77 N. Front St.

Quarterly Leadership Staff Meeting
Sept. 24  |  1-3 p.m.  |  1111 East Broad St., Continental Room

Playbook Columbus Survey Closes
Sept. 30

October

DEI Lunch & Learn
Oct. 2  |  12-1 p.m.  | 1111 East Broad St., Continental Room

CREATE Culture Committee Golf Outing
Oct. 6 (Rain Date Oct. 13)  |  Details TBD

Timeclocks Roll Out for CWA*
Oct. 13

December

End-of-Year Luncheon
Dec. 11  |  Details TBD

Reinvesting in You

This year, one of our areas of focus is reinvesting in our staff. In this section, we highlight some of the ways you can grow, personally and professionally, and celebrate those who have reached a professional milestone.

Get Retirement Ready with RetireU

Life is an adventure in learning! Ohio Deferred Compensation’s RetireU is a 3D interactive experience that offers courses, valuable lessons and resources designed to help you graduate financially ready for retirement.

  • Learn about retirement planning with educational content based on your savings life stage.
  • Test your knowledge to earn your spot among the elite top 10.
  • Enroll in or manage your retirement plan while also accessing live webinars.
  • Get hands-on experience with retirement planning tools in the Resource Lounge.
  • Score points to beat your peers in a scavenger hunt.
  • Connect with a retirement representative for continued support.

Earn your degree in retirement readiness – visit NationwideRetireUOhio.vfairs.com to learn more and register. 

Training

Check out these upcoming training opportunities. 

  • Tuesday, Oct. 22 – OPRA: Artificial Intelligence for Parks and Recreation Professionals
  • Nov. 12-13: OPRA Leadership Summit
  • Friday, Dec. 6: OPRA Regional Training – Customer Service: At the Heart of the Matter – the “Little” Things are the BIG Things

Visit OPRAOnline.org for more information and to register. 

Professional Achievements

Have you recently earned a degree, award or certification? Let us know, and we will share your accomplishment in the newsletter!

Section Spotlight

Community Center & Programs – Health & Nutrition             

  • What changes were recently made to your section?  The newly developed Health & Nutrition subdivision will be a cross-functional team focused on expanding nutritional opportunities and education, all while reimagining how we embrace health offerings and education. This team is a merger of the Health & Wellness and Food & Nutrition areas. 
  • What’s the core function of this team? Health will focus on internal/external fitness programs and events, senior health options, fitness room management and health fitness education. Nutrition will focus on afterschool meals, mobile produce markets, senior food options and nutrition education classes, as well as manage community gardens. 
  • How does this team interact with residents? Both teams provide programming to residents. 
  • How many staff work in this section? Health & Nutrition is led by Administrative Manager Kyra Jones, with support from Assistant Managers Jordan Dotson and DaShaunta “Tay” Drew. 
  • What’s a fun fact about this team? There is a trained scientist on this team.  

 

Nominate A Coworker for the Staff Spotlight

Fill out this form to nominate a coworker. They will be notified that they were nominated in order to answer spotlight questions.

Archive

2024

Jan. 9, 2024

Jan. 23, 2024

Feb. 6, 2024

Feb. 20, 2024

March 5, 2024

March 19, 2024

April 2, 2024

April 16, 2024

April 30, 2024

May 14, 2024

May 29, 2024

June 11, 2024

June 25, 2024

July 9, 2024

Aug. 6, 2024

Aug. 20, 2024

2023

As new weekly updates are posted, an archive of each week will be available here.

Jan. 3

Jan. 10

Jan. 17

Jan. 24

Jan. 31

Feb. 7

Feb. 14

Feb. 21

Feb. 28

March 7

March 14

March 21

March 28

April 4

April 11

April 18

April 24

May 2

May 9

May 16

May 23

May 30

June 6

June 13

June 20

June 27

July 5

July 11

July 18

July 25

Aug. 1

Aug. 8

Aug. 15

Aug. 22

Aug. 29

Sept. 5

Sept. 12

Sept. 19

Sept. 26

Oct. 3

Oct. 10

Oct. 17

Oct 24

Oct. 31

Nov. 7

Nov. 14

Nov. 21

Nov. 28

Dec. 5

Dec. 12

Dec. 19

2022

As new weekly updates are posted, an archive of each week will be available here.

Dec. 27

Dec. 20

Dec. 13

Dec. 6

Nov. 28

Nov. 22

Nov. 15

Nov. 8

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