ဟံၣ်My WebLinkဘၣ်ဃးဒီး1990-03 COUNTY CORRIDORS • 101.11/, No.I A Newsletter For Employees and Retirees of Tompkins County March 1990 TOMPKINS COUNTY BOARD OF ti,,, OFFICE FOR THE AGING TO REPRESENTATIVES RESCHEDULES i PERMANENTLY RELOCATE SPRING , by: Editorial Board by Caslon Cooper, Corridors Staff 1 ' A recent study conducted by the Tompkins County Office for the Aging under a grant Special to County Corridors from the State Office for the Aging revealed that a large percentage of Tompkins County In action taken at their last meeting, the senior citizens flee Ithaca's winter each year for warmer climates. In an effort to better Tompkins County Board of Representatives serve their needs, it has been decided that rather than rent commercial space for the im- voted overwhelmingly to postpone Spring minent move of the Office, a large motor home will be purchased to house TCOFA and for a period of up to two months. The vote will be relocated to Tampa, Florida. The motor home will be moved back to Ithaca when was surprisingly not split along party lines, good weather returns to the Finger Lakes (this is generally the two week period after July but had a few of the Democrats and 4th). Republicans favoring the traditional late A branch of the Office of the Aging will be maintained year round in former Cell Block March date for the beginning of the season. 2 of the old County Jail and will be staffed by those individuals in TCOFA who have had When asked about the vote a speaker for the misfortune to win the Court House Parking Lottery that year. the Board said, "The winter situation has not been good for the last five years or so, and ' ',,, businesses are suffering because of it. The ' � ° � . ` \ ; �, ' • > ski resort operators, for instance, have not " , had the turnout they got back in the sixties and seventies, and this has been a real Hi * ! ` 1 '* l ' r . hardship for them. The manufacturers of ' h? __ N.‘ . snow tires, too, have had their sales fall off • t `, , in recent years. What with the cooler -than- 4' .: - I � 1, normal temperatures and heavier- than -nor- �+ "' �� mal snowfall this winter we (the Board) feel S —0 PM ' , , ( that this is a sensible plan at this time. Al- though we realize that this action might pos- ' sibly impose a small hardship on a very few, .x – we feel that ultimately it will improve the economy and be of real benefit to those who live or work in Tompkins County." When asked about the number of ski resort operators and snow tire manufac- turers located in Tompkins County the speaker said that the Board had appointed a subcommittee to look into these matters, Shown here is the back of the brand new van that will house and transport TCOFA to and that its preliminary report was due e at the end of June or during the first their new home for the winter.... sunny Tampa Florida! two weeks of July. Further action was postponed until the Board meets again. EMPLOYEES TO BENEFIT FROM LOOSE TAGS by: Editorial Board In an unpresidented gesture on the part of Department Heads, it was unamiously decided at their last meeting that in view of the otential economic hardship to their employees as a result of the recent implementation of the "tag your bag" system in the county, that they, as a unit, would lobby the Board of Representatives on behalf of their employees. They recommnded to the Board that all county employees receive one free tag each month for each member of their household and these free tags be distributed with paychecks. To facilitate this, they proposed that two additional staff persons be assigned to the Landfill, whose specific duties would consist of checking all incoming bags for the infamous loose tags, removing them and (cont'd on page 3 Employee of the Month HOW TIME SMOKEY ACHIEVES III HOPS BY.. STARDOM by: Editorial Board s (t"ii-' '1 k by: Editorial Staff Smokey, the eminent cat about the Court House, who has been frequently featured in Peter Cottontail, Director of Extracur- this publication, has achieved stardom. This week, Smokey's owners announced that the ricular Activities, says, "It is that time of the publicity surrounding the locally famous cat has brought him to the attention of the nation - year again, to bring smiles to small faces on al media. The result has been that Smokey was chosen by the National Cat Food Manufac- the soon to be holiday". The longest hop- turers Association as "Cat of the Year". The award comes with a lucrative television ad- ping employee of Tompkins County, Peter's vertising contract reported to be in the six- figure range. job goes unnoticed 364 days a year, but he A distinguished local judge and a Tompkins County Deputy sheriff, frequently seen in says there are many months of preparation the company of the new celebrity, were asked to co -star with Smokey in the Commercials, for that one day. Peter was born in Pretend, but both declined. It is also rumored that the Tompkins County Association of Court House USA, and has been around forever. He met Mice is contemplating legal action regarding the advertising contract. Demanding a por- his wife, Penelope, in Hearts and Minds, tion of Smokey's profits, the chairman of the Association has stated that, "It is largely due USA. They fell in love, got married and to the tireless efforts of our members that Smokey has become a public figure." decided to reside in the Tompkins County area. Peter and Penelope are the proud parents of 26 children (one for every letter of the alphabet), 52 grandchildren, 104 great grandchildren and s0000 on and on and on. ` The family spends most of their time making chocolate and coloring eggs. In his spare • t VI ime, Peter likes to chase rainbows. He is not looking for the pot of gold, but for new d" ideas in color for eggs. Peter regrets the ab- _ _ sence of a photo, but due to the magical na- - 1 ture of his work he cannot disclose his iden- tity • Peter wishes everyone a Hoppy Holiday Hoppy Spring A , Hoppy Hoppy Everything .- , ' I t u.: ...."' • ✓ j y O w` % ,'! I • . +',. . t",,...„ • j�, - �� Smokey refused to comment, but his lawyers did say that a statement would be '1`' / L _ jt') released sometime in the near future t i. . ,,,.....„... 4= ✓_ /' ' N continued from page 1 forwarding them to the Budget and Finance Director whose staff would then attach them to employee paychecks. In addition, a recom- mendation was made that all landfill staff be equipped with metal detectors and that these detectors be used to locate any discarded bathroom scales. These scales could then be sent to Buildings & Grounds to be cleaned and disinfected before being made available to employees who wish to weigh their garbage to verify that it is not over the 351b. weight limit. In conjunction with this, it was sugges that the Director of Weights and Measures conduct a training seminar entitled LEARN THE RIGHT WEIGH. The seminar w provide intensive training to the employees in the proper procedures for using their recycled scales in relation to garbage disposal. The Board has promised a decision on the above recommndations within 30 days. If their decision is positive, implementation would start immediately. OFFICE SPACE TO BE NEW 44- LLOCATED BY LOTTERY i PAYROLL YSTEM SCHEDULE TO BE by: Editorial Board IMPLEMENTED Starting in January of 1991, all county office space will be allocated by a lottery system. The synopsis of this system is as follows: all county offices will be numbered and correspond- by: Editorial Board ing numbers will be painted on ping pong balls and placed in a lottery barrel and on the first Monday of each month all Department Heads will meet in the Board Room to draw A little publicized clause of the new for their office space for that month. Employees and records will be removed from their contracts calls for payrolls to be issued on old offices in the morning and moved into their new offices in the afternoon. Furniture and a staggered basis to relieve some of the equipment will not be moved since under the new system they will be designated to a specific pressure staggered on the Comptroller's Office and office and not to a department. Data Processing. It is felt that the institution of this new system is the only fair way to allocate space to All employees whose last names begin departments as it will replace the old "who you know" element, which was inherent in the with A through employees G will be paid on Thursday old system, with the "I feel lucky today" syndrome. Some of the other positive aspects of of the first week of the month, those with this inventive system are the elimination of boredom on the part of those employees who last names ending in H through M will be have sat at the same desk, in the same office, in the same building, and had the same view paid in the second week, those with last from their work station for their entire county career; individual departments will no longer names ending in N through S will be paid have to include equipment and furniture as part of their annual budget preparation, but will instead hope that sometime during the year they will "luck out" and be located in a in the third week, and those with last space that has everything they need; it will minimize the amount of clutter most depart- names ending in T through Z will be paid meats tend to accumulate by instilling in everyones mind the phrase, "If I save this, I'll have in the fourth week. to move this"; those employees who call in sick, are on vacation or just plain not paying at- This pay schedule will remain in effect tention on Lottery Day will have the opportunity to meet and know fellow employees as for the next four years on a trial basis. Let they search for their new office and it is hoped that some enduring and meaningful relation- us know if you like it. It represents a major will result from these contacts, and last, but by no means least, it will allow the plan- .ps change from bi- weekly pay to monthly pay g Department to devote all their time, except on moving day, to much more important so plan your budgets accordingly. This change will be effective May 1, 1990. issues. Complete details pertaining to the Lottery System will be distributed to all departments no later than December 30th. A question session for Department Heads has been scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on December 31st in the Board Room. An answer session will fol- low if time permits. JOB UNCLASSIFIEDS STUDY O HOLD! by: Editorial Board Taking request for stained glass Due to a breakdown in communica- orders. For information call I )111111111111111111, , tions, all of the employee questionnaires Michelle Sturm (607) 589 -4966 and pay equity materials have been sent to after 7 pm using the NYS Relay Buffalo instead of Albany and are now in #1- 800 -421 -1220. I'm hearing the process of being "rounded up" and returned to Albany and/or Ithaca. Due to impaired. this unforeseen event, it appears the study FOR SALE: 1989 FORD F- 250 5i will not be completed until at least January heavy duty pick -up truck. 4 -wheel 1, 1991. Since you have been so patient to drive, towing package, 5 -speed date, we know this will not cause a major manual. Blue, excellent upset to many employees and we ap- reciate your bearing with us through the condition. Take over payments. •tudy. Call Ken, 533 -4371 after 2:00 p.m. Once done, we are confident the study As you can see, Fran Armstrong (who will be worth the wait. works in the Comptroller's office) was a bit taken aback by the new proposal 1 7 VACANCIES FREE APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED FROM TOMPKINS COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND UNCLASSIFIED GENERAL PUBLIC CENTRAL SERVICES: Desktop Publishing Operator, LG 5, (up to 23 hours/week) I IIIF DATA PROCESSING: Programmer /Analyst, LG 12 HEALTH: Public Health Nurse, LG 12 (4) temporary, full -time; Public Health Nurse, Classified ads up to 25 words in length LG 12 (1) Permanent, full -time; Account Clerk Typist, LG 5 full -time thru Sept. (grant); Public Health Technician, LG 10 are free to County employees, retirees and JTPA: Employment and Training Assistant, LG 6 - 10 hours/week; Employment and their immediate families. Ads may be for Training Director II, LG D; Teacher Coordinator, LG 12 -10 hours/week after 3:30 pm any purpose except no personal ads will be MENTAL HEALTH: Psychiatric Social Worker, LG 14 accepted. No County addresses or PUBLIC WORKS: Assistant Airport Manger, LG C; Building Maintenance Worker, telephone numbers may be listed in the Plumber /Steamfitter, LG 11; Solid Waste Assistant, LG 10 ads. Use this coupon to send your ad to YOUTH BUREAU: Administrative Assistant, LG 8; Program Management Specialist, Corridors c/o Central Services. LG 10; Youth Bureau Planner, LG 14 VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS: Typist, LG 4 TOMPKINS COUNTY LIBRARY: Pages, part -time COUNTY CLERK OFFICE: Record Officer, LG 17 ASSIGNED COUNSEL PROGRAM: Supervising Attorney, LG H (33% time); Program Coordinator, LG 14 SOCIAL SERVICES: Data Entry Machine Operator, LG 4; Financial Investigator, LG 8 TOMPKINS - CORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Cleaner, 18 3/4 hrs/week 3:30 -7:15 am; Publications Assistant, full -time, perm.; word Processing Operator, Temp. - 6/90 ANTICIPATED OPENING: Working Supervisor - 25% time, LG 14, Probation L � PLEASE CONTACT TOMPKINS COUNTY PERSONNEL FOR JOB DESCRIP- TIONS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE ABOVE LISTED VACAN- CIES. k.. In addition to the above, other positions which are opening in the near future are: SOLID WASTE: Tag and Scale Specialist, LG 12, noncompetitive class III ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: Climatologist, management level H, exempt class BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES: Lottery Coordinator, management level C, com- t 1 p III etitive class COURT HOUSE LOBBY: Feline Public Relations Specialist, Management level D, exempt class ALL COUNTY BUILDINGS: Court Jester, LG 8 competitive class OFFICE FOR THE AGING: Motor Home Operator, LG 17, noncompetitive class CORRIDORS Editorial Board: Creative Writer, management level F, exempt class COUNTY CORRIDORS TO BE PUBLISHED WEEKLY by Dorovar Dunhill, Corridors Sta ff County Corridors, the newsletter of the Tompkins County Board of Representatives, has just begun a weekly publication schedule according to "Dutch" Roman, a Board The infamous "scale and tags". speaker who requested anonymity. "We've just so many articles and contributions coming in that we're just totally swamped," she said, "and can't keep up with the onslaught. Please be patient if your ar- ticle isn't published right away," she pleaded, "since it takes anywhere from four to eight weeks after an article is submitted before it can be considered for publication." DUE TO A COMPUTER VIRUS, ALL ARTICLES MARKED WITH AN ARE TOTALLY NOT TRUE. HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!• C reative articles are accepted and welcomed by County Corridors.