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ဟံၣ်My WebLinkဘၣ်ဃးဒီး1988-11 COUNTY CORRIDORS Vol. I, No.IX A Newsletter For Employees and Retirees of Tompkins County November 1988 Elves Found in County Building! „ , \I i 4, by Sharon Cummings,Meadow Houses ",t. —,,, , ,,f "Elves?!I don't believe it.There are no �' =''s elves in Tompkins County."A few months �+ � . : ago I would have agreed with that state- v .. `, , ment.Not anymore.Though I haven't ac- . ° ' • tually seen an elf,I've seen their work and �'� t I believe. ° r I first heard rumors about the elves last `? a (t ^'e + spring.I had just started working at Mea- \‘,,,4k..,, t dow House when I was asked to assist with �"' the Farmers'Market booth.One Tuesday, _ _' ,r as I was sitting in DeWitt Park with a cou '� .;am ple of our more prolific farmers'market- . �'. iih. eers, I heard whispers of the Christmas elves. They spoke with reverence telling how each year elves came to Meadow 1 11 House and set up shop.They came,I was told, in the fall and remained until early Some of the elves proudly display the lawn ornaments. Being magical, they are not December, until the Christmas Bazaar. I visible in photographs.The bazaar will be held on December 8th and 9th at the Corn- dismissed this as a story designed to test mons office of the Tompkins County Trust Company. Photo by Bill Chapp the limits of the new staff. A few weeks later, however, I heard one of the old- ty Trust Company Building on the Conn- The IRS' Nasty New Price of timers talking about the late fall of 1983 mons.We will be there from 9:00 to 2:00 Underwitholding when the elves were first seen at Meadow each day.Proceeds will benefit the Willard Remember last year's near-unpenetra- House.That was the year of the first Hol- Holiday Phone Projects which assists pa- ble Form W-4 witholding worksheet?And iday Bazaar. As the summer wore on, I tients with the cost of keeping in touch how, in due time, the Internal Revenue heard many tales of how each year the with family and friends; and Loaves and Service admitted the form was confusing? Fishes, which provides free meals to the And how,in an act of contrition,the agen- ...whispers of the needy in Ithaca. cywaived the penalty for underpaying tax- Christmas elves. A new addition to the bazaar this year es on wage income? elves come earlier and the Bazaar be- Don't expect such indulgence this year. comes bigger and better. I still didn't be- ...I started to notice strange In 1988, if you fail to have your employer lieve in elves. Then, in September, after withhold an amount equal to what you the Farmers' Market cart had been put things happening. owed last year,or at least 90%of this year's away, I started to notice strange things tax liability, you will face a penalty—now happening. is a raffle.We will be raffling a set of Vic- 10% on the shortfall—in addition to the The changes were subtle at first. The torian-style lawn ornaments,a nativity set balance due. But you can still undo any work coming from the woodshop began to and a Victorian broom. These items will damage,even at this late hour. have seasonal designs. Slowly, Christmas be on display at Logos Bookstore after You are probably underwithheld, ev- projects appeared in the sewing room and Thanksgiving. The drawing will be held erything else being equal, if you owed tax on the craft tables. Next, the ceramics December 10th. Tickets are available at on wage income last year and have not yet group found themselves surrounded by Meadow House. adjusted your W-4,says Robert Greisman, clay ornaments.By late October,a banner Projects and crafts throughout the tax partner at Grant Thornton, an ac- announcing"Santa's Workshop"appear- building. Members and staff working to- counting firm in Chicago. ed in the community room.Now an abun- gether with and within the community. Worse yet, you may not be home free dance of projects sit in various stages of There's magic in that.I believe. even if you were correctly withheld in completion throughout Meadow House. 1987.Reason:record low marginal tax This year the fifth annual Meadow Happy » continued on page 4 House Holiday Bazaar will be beld De- cember 8th&9th at the Tompkins Coun- Holidays!! THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE. COUNTY CORRIDORS Healthy Notes Articles and opinion pieces for County Cor- ridors are selected by the volunteer editorial Today, November 17, is the day set aside by the American Cancer Society as the board based on their interest to Tompkins Coun GREAT AMERICAN SMOKE OUT.Be a true friend—encoura a someone you know fr m employees and employees,retirees. Material and is solicited g Y from current employees,retirees and others. to give up cigarettes,cigars or the pipe for at least one day,and hopefully for a lifetime. County Corridors is published by County We hope some employees were able to take advantage of the ACS smoking cessation Central Services using desktop publishing typ- sessions on 11/8 and 10,and 11/15 and 17. ography and layout.Distribution is on the second County payday of the month. Ten Little Workers Material for publication is selected by the editorial board which reserves the right to edit any submissions.The editorial board is made up Ten little workers, Three little workers of Bill Chapp (DSS), Shelia Ferrari(Purchasing Feeling fit and fine, With nothing much to do, and Central Services), Scott Heyman (Admin- One smoked in the solvent room... One indulged in horse-play... istration),Joyce Musson (Administration), Janet Then there were nine. Then there were two. Nissenson (Stop DWI), Geri Roebel (Youth Bur- Nine little workers, Two little workers, eau), Marilyn Strassberg (Office for the Aging), Thought they'd be late, Took stairways on the run, and Judy Tynyk (Mental Health Clinic). Corres- One cut through the railroad yards... One missed his footing... pondence may be sent to: Then there were eight. Then there was one. NEWSLETTER,CENTRAL SERVICES through County inter-office mail,or to: Eight little workers, One little worker, NEWSLETTER, C/O PURCHASING AND CEN- Looking up to heaven, Thought of the other nine, TRAL SERVICES, BIGGS CENTER BLDG A, 301 One feQ off a loading ramp... Began to practice safety... HARRIS B.DATES DRIVE,fTHACA NY 14850 Then there were seven. Now he's doing fine. via US Mail. Seven little workers, Putting in hard licks mixed booze with gas... Milestones Then there were six. Six little workers, Leslie Gould has recently been hired as the EISEP Case Manager at the County Office One o o alive,s goggles... the Aging. Leslie graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's degree in So- Then forgot his go les... e;i g• � y gr Then there were rve. cial Work in May 1988. She was a Casework intern in the Children's Unit of the Tompkins Five little workers, County Department of Social Services,in addition to working and volunteering at a variety Standing near the door, of human service agencies in Ithaca. One thought a wire was"dead"... EISEP (Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program) is a New York State Then there were four. funded program that helps people over 60 years old to coordinate necessary services to Four little workers, keep them living independently in their homes. EISEP provides case management, in- One scratched his knee, home and ancillary services on a sliding scale basis. Didn't o for First Aid... Then there were three. Grade 3. PUBLIC HEALTH ENGINEER: Health; BS in DESKTOP PUBLISHING OPERATOR: Pur- Engineering OR a license to practice as a profes- i chasing and Central Services; HS plus one year sional engineer in NYS. Grade 13. County Vacancies as of experience as a data-entry operator OR HS which PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE:two openings in the November 7, 1988 includes completion of the 2-year BOCES Data Health Dept.; BS in nursing AND one year ex- November Processing program.Grade 5. perience. Eligibility for NYS RPN license. Grade LIBRARIAN: Library, part-time; BSLS or MSL 12. The Personnel Department, 121 E. Court St., AND two years of post-degree professional library REGISTERED PRACTICAL NURSE: Health Ithaca, is accepting applications for immediate experience.Grade 12. Dept. Hypertension Program; one PT position. openings in the following positions: (1) M-F and every fourth Saturday: 10:00 am to Completion of a course of study approved by 1:00 pm. NYS Education Dept.as qualifying for RPN AND ACCOUNT/CLERK TYPIST: DSS, Youth Bur- (2)Sat.9:00 am to 5:00 pm:Temp.until 6/1/89. possession of RPN license at time of appoint- eau; High School plus one year clerical expel- (3)Tues.,Wed.,Fri.2-6:00 pm AND Sat.10:00 am ment.Grade II. ience OR three years clerical experience. Four to 5:00 pm:Temp.until 6/1/89. SENIOR LIBRARY CLERK: BOCES; HS and college credit hours in accounting may be sub- LIBRARY CLERK:Library(2 positions);HS OR one year library clerical experience OR two years stituted for one year experience.Grade 5. two years clerical experience.Grade 4. of college OR five years clerical experience. AUTOMOTIVE MECHANIC: Dryden Schools; MAIL CLERK/COURIER: Purchasing: HS or Grade 6. $7.54-$8.29/hr.;two years experience as an auto- two years clerical experience. Possession of NY SENIOR STENOGRAPHER:District Attorney's motive mechanic AND appropriate operator's li- driver's license.Grade 4. Office; One-year secretarial science program cense and regs of NYS Commissioner of Educa- PAGE:Library;Completion of eighth grade or AND one year clerical experience involving use of tion for bus drivers if applying for bus driving demonstrated ability to perform the work.Grade dictating equipment;OR HS and two years cleri- position. Full-time training in automotive 1. (Two positions available.) cal experience with dictating equipment use;OR mechanics may substitute for experience on a PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORKER: Mental six years clerical experience,two years of which year-for-year basis. Health;Position until 8/11/89;MSW OR New York involved\dictating equipment use.Grade 9. BUDGET AND FINANCE CLERK: Budget and State Certification as a Certified Social Worker. SENIOR TYPIST:Personnel;MS in secretarial Finance;MS in accounting/business AND three Grade 14. science or related field AND one year clerical ex- years accounting experience OR HS AND five PSYCHIATRIST:Mental Health;two yearsclin- perience involving typing OR HS AND two years years accounting experience.Grade 7. ical experience as physician AND Board eligibility clerical experience involving typing OR six years CASE AIDE:DSS and Mental Health;One year to practice psychiatry AND three years training in clerical experience, two of which must have in- experience in any position supporting human mental health program, including experience in volved typing.Grade 6. services programs in public or private agency. supervision, consultation, or direct service with TYPIST:Mental Health,DSS,Dryden Schools, Grade 4. community mental health or related social agen- Job Training, Human Rights; High School grad- CLEANER: TC3; No minimum qualifications. cy programs.Grade H. uation OR two years clerical experience.Grade 4. „- Employee of the Month I !isms A Long Way from , Bread and Water - ifi:' t by Sheila Ferrari,Purchasing f ` "c-- law Alha Picture this You have been sentenced '' dal to serve 30 days in the Tompkins County Jail.You are incarcerated,confined,your ' freedom cut off.You can't come and go as - -.r! l” A air 1 you please. You can't do what you want. ...—._ There are activity rooms,pool tables,ping _:_.._ pong tables,but maybe you don't like pool . , ■ and ping pong.You can only watch just so much TV. You become bored and irri- I *rip'' *. ` ,1 I tated. '�' In this atmosphere what most people hardly think about becomes very impor- JoAnn Drake, Head Cook,Tompkins County Public Safety Building Photo by Bill Chapp tant to you,something to look forward to, something to break the monotony—your meals! quality and taste appeal and catering to your Credit Union The person responsible for keeping 50- favorite dishes when possible. A quality 60 prisoners full and nonirritated with meat (roast beef, pork chops, ham) is their meals is JoAnn Drake,Head Cook at served once a week; cold plates are fea- by Roberta Chiesa the Tompkins County Public Safety Build- tured once a week;fish every Friday night. ing(Jail).She has worked for the County Recently a lot of bacon burgers, cheese- At the open house held to celebrate the for almost 7 years, part-time until the re- burgers, chili dogs, etc. were spotted on Credit Union's move to Biggs Building A, tirement in January 1988 of Marty Mc- menus, as leftover food from the County the winners of the door prizes were:Jean Chesney,cook for the jail for 15 years. Picnic was donated to the jail. Brockway (DSS) a $21.00 gift certificate JoAnn, a widow, lives on Slaterville for Joe's Restaurant;Clair Mahoney(TC Road.She has 6 children living in the area, Hospital retiree)goose planter with mum ...responsible for 150-200 in Florida and Virginia,and 13 grandchil- plant;Bill Chapp(DSS)outdoor thermo- meals per da . dren. Two years ago she went to Florida meter and the winner of the child's prize p y and Virginia to visit everyone, and last was Jessica Hemenway,daughter of Scott summer went to Michigan to visit her sis- Hemenway (Buildings & Grounds) who Including staff meals,JoAnn is respon- ter.But it is hard to get away.Working in won a stuffed McGruff dog. Bible for 150-200 meals per day. She cre- a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week facility, Now is the time to open your Christmas ates the menus (main meal not repeated providing a needed service (what's more club for 1989.Stop in the office with a min- more often than 10-12 days), orders the basic than food?) is a far cry from a 9-5 imum$1.00 deposit and get ready for next food from bids done by Purchasing(meat- desk job.For example,in order for JoAnn Christmas.Dividends are paid on Christ- monthly; groceries-every 3 months), pre- to take a 2-week vacation like many of us mas clubs at the same rate as savings ac- pares the food herself,supervises the trus- do, Beverly has to work 17 days straight. counts. tees (prisoners in for nonviolent crimes It's tough! who are"trusted"enough to be allowed to REMINDER!!! volunteer for working in areas like the kit- chen).The trustees set up the food trays in ...six children...and thirteen Final informational meetings on the hot carts which are then delivered to the grandchildren. flexible benefits plan (RMSCO) will be jail cells. held on December 6 from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. JoAnn's only backup is Beverly Knapp, in the Board of Representatives Room, part-time cook, who works Sundays and As our thoughts turn to the coming hol- Court House, and on December 7 from Mondays (JoAnn's weekend), and any iday,Thanksgiving,JoAnn's thoughts turn 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Sadd Con- days that JoAnn is off, like holidays, sick to planning meals for the 3 days before ference Room A,Biggs Building A. time and vacation. Beverly cooked at the Thanksgiving that don't require ovens,to If you haven't done anything on this County Home until it closed. free the ovens up to roast 12 turkeys,which program, or if you wish to change your Menus are varied and designed to take along with the traditional "fixins" (dress- original enrollment form,you MUST get advantage of government surplus foods re- ing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pie, your information from RMSCO repre- ceived free(butter,cheese,flour,peanuts, etc.) will form the holiday meal for the sentatives on these days. We would like macaroni, rice, dried fruits) and to cut temporary residents of the Tompkins ALL EMPLOYEES to sign a form on this costs wherever possible,while maintaining County Public Safety Building. plan regardless of action taken. Homesharing Program Opens Its Doors IRS by Linda Johnson,Office for the Aging » continued from page 1 "Homesharing and other Options for Seniors Today,"or H.O.S.T.,will soon be open- rates mean that less may be withheld this ing its doors to seniors and others in Tompkins County.The program,which provides in- year than ever before. But at the same formation on housing options and specifically homesharing, should be operating on time,gradual phaseout of consumer inter- December 1. The coordinator, Linda Johnson, welcomes calls (274-5450) from any in- est and passive-loss deductions may ex- dividuals or organizations interested in knowing more. pose more of your income to taxes. Homesharing is a living arrangement in which 2 or more people reside together,shar- To avoid penalties, ask your company ing common areas but each having personal private space,such as bedrooms or bathrooms. payroll office for a 1988 W-4 worksheet, Often offering part of their homes to others interests seniors because they are seeking the third and simplest incarnation since some form of income supplement.However,the value of the security and companionship tax reform.The form will walk you through that comes with having another person in the home should not be underestimated.Fre- the calculations to find the correct number quently a barter arrangement arises,the home-seeker performing certain services around of allowances that you can take to adjust the home,e.g.some cleaning,meals(not personal needs,e.g.bathing,dressing)in exchange your withholding.A review may reveal that for part or all the rent. you have overwithheld. In that case you can scale back by increasing the number of deductions. Pay Equity Project Kicks Off To cover earnings not subject to with- holding, such as investment or self-em- by Maria Bottini,Municipal Services Division,NYS Dep't of Civil Service ployment income,you may have to make estimated tax payments,due in the quarter Tompkins County has been selected as one of the first two counties to participate in a you earn the money.If you are underpaid, pay equity project designed to examine internal equity in the county's salary structure.The you can either have the amount withheld Municipal Services Division(MSD)of the State Department of Civil Service has received from your salary or make a quarterly pay- a special appropriation of$160,000 to develop a job classification and evaluation system ment now using Form 1040 ES. The es- for local government jurisdictions across the State. timated payment for the last quarter of The project will proceed in three stages:job classification,job evaluation,and pay equi- 1988 must be made by Jan. 17. ty analysis. The job classification phase will require each county employee to complete a question- naire describing the duties and responsibilities of their positions. While many county Reprinted from the October 1988 employees have participated in classification studies in the past, the new questionnaire issue of Money magazine by special contains specific questions covering a much broader scope of job content than ever before. permission; ©1988, Time Inc. The phrase"job content"refers to a complete description of the knowledge,skills,respon- sibilities,and working conditions of a position.This detailed information will be critical in making sure that individual positions are properly classified into job titles. In the next phase,job evaluation,each job class or title will be rated on a uniform set of job evaluation factors.The new job evaluation factors have been carefully written to in- Semiclassifieds dude job features that are often overlooked in traditional systems.For example,the fac- tor on the use of machines,tools,instruments,and equipment includes examples of kitchen equipment,laundry equipment,surgical/dental instruments,and computers in addition to INTERIOR PAINTING:fast and neat, the machines and tools used in skilled trades and blue-collar positions.Other examples free estimates,fully insured. 1-842-6669 are factors referring to patient/client contact,risk of injury or illness,interpersonal skills, NEUTERED MALE CAT: 16 years— and job demands. loves to be loved—very affectionate— Job titles will be assigned points reflecting the degree to which each evaluation factor black/white—indoor cat—never hunted relates to the duties and responsibilities of the title.Total job worth points will then provide or lived outside.Litter-trained.273-1229 the basis for the pay equity analysis. 1984 HONDA SHADOW:700cc,liquid The primary objective of the pay equity analysis will be to establish internal equity within cooled, 6-speed, overdrive, shaft drive, 2 the Tompkins County salary structure.Jobs having comparable levels of knowledge,skill, Fulmer helmets(full, 1-3/4 faced), 10,477 responsibility and working conditions as measured by the evaluation factors will be as- miles,Bridgestone tires.$1500 or best of- signed comparable job worth points.Hiring rates will then be recommended to reflect the fer.Neil,539-7470 ob hierarchy established by comparinI the job worth points of all county jobs. FOR SALE: 1980 Firebird, V8, auto. FREE U N C LAS S I F I E D S I transmission, mags, stoup, custom paint. New brakes;runs very well.Best offer.Call Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County employees,retirees and their immediatq 642-9533 amilies.Ads may be for any purpose except no personal ads will be accepted.No County addresses of FOR SALE: Homelite 16" chain saw. telephone numbers may be listed in the ads.Use this coupon to send your ad to Corridors c/o Centra ,Services. Excellent condition.$150/B.O.659-3809 FOR SALE: 2 female hamsters with 2 cages. $25 for both. Very friendly. 659- 3809 FOR SALE:Robeson kerosene heater, 20.000 BTU,used less than 1 month.Paid $149.00,asking$100.00. Call 564-9308 af- ter 6:00