REWARD & RECOGNIZE YOUR PEERS!

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INNOVATION AND EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS

FY25, First quarter

francis hemmah

The Town is involved in a federal multi-district lawsuit against the manufacturers of aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) containing PFAS which have contaminated the Town's (and other jurisdictions' groundwater). Large settlements were reached against two of the defendants, 3M and DuPont. Pursuant to the settlements, a Public Water System (PWS) may receive compensation for actions taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of supplying contaminated water. In order to make a claim for that compensation, the Town had to provide detailed supporting documentation of our remedial actions. The Town constructed two water treatment campuses to treat its water supply at significant expense (approximately $16M). However, the water treatment campuses treat the water not only for PFAS contamination, but also for 1,4 Dioxane contamination. Contamination due to 1,4 Dioxane is not a part of the lawsuit and the Town can't claim any costs related to the 1,4 Dioxane in the litigation. That is a lot of background to explain the task that Francis took on in order to make sure the Town presents its best case in the litigation and receives the maximum settlement amount possible. Francis undertook an engineering exercise to parse out the various components of the design, construction, and O & M of the two campuses that can fairly be attributed to the PFAS treatment only. After performing the exercise and doing the math, he then wrote a technical memo to explain the assumptions and process he used to arrive at his numbers. That memo was provided to the Claims Administrator as part of the litigation and is essential to the Town's explanation of the costs it has incurred. Francis did all of this while maintaining his regular job responsibilities in Water, with Water being short-handed in engineering. This was the epitome of going above and beyond to provide dedicated service to the Town and its citizens and is likely to result in the Town receiving significant compensation from the litigation. (Paul Martinez and Louis Valencia also assisted with this work; I have previously nominated them for this award due to their assistance in the litigation).

FY24, Fourth quarter

CHRISTINE BYLER

This past July, the Town officially began its own CDBG program. Creating a new program from scratch is no small task. Christine Byler was tasked with bringing this new program on board. Over the past two years, she has immersed herself in everything CDBG, researching other jurisdictions, taking weeks of trainings, writing policy and procedures and creating all the documents needed to run a successful program. A big item on her to do list was to make the program application and management easy for the residents as well as staff. After even more research Christine chose to utilize the Neighborly Software for our CDBG needs. This on-line system allows for the applicant to input and upload all the needed information from any desktop, tablet or phone. Eliminating the need for paper documents to be brought into our offices. In the event of a resident without the capability to complete the application on-line, Christine has gone to their home with her tablet and assisted them with the application process. Christine's hard work, dedication and forward thinking has certainly provided a solid foundation for this new program to be a resounding success.

VICKY EDWARDS

Vicky consistently exemplifies the Town’s cultural values. Vicky often goes above and beyond what is required of her position by providing customer service and support at a 5-star level. Below are a few examples that showcase her commitment, dedication and high level of teamwork. 

• Parks has been dealing with a difficult 3rd party software vendor. The contract terms have been in the negotiation process for more than a year. Several months ago, Vicky coordinated with the department and she took the lead in facilitating this contract process. Her professional approach, persistence and patience, allowed her to work through this very complex process, while also dealing with an unresponsive 3rd party representative. She worked with all parties, including the legal department to navigate this difficult task and was finally successful during this last week in executing this contract which will service the department and Town needs for several years. Several staff have congratulated her for her performance. 

• The communications team identified a need to create an online store. Vicky provided support to Vic in communications by helping research what other municipalities have done, including participating in site visits. Further, Vicky coordinated with other departments to determine what needs they might have, including Parks and Recreation, and has continued to support the effort to create an online store by providing her expertise on the topic throughout the process. The end result has been a presentation by Parks and Communications for the creation of an onsite store at the new Community and Aquatics Facility, once it is operational. 

• Finance identified a procurement deficiency where a vendor was being used by multiple departments to purchase a variety of printing goods and services. Vicky coordinated with multiple departments to understand their needs to ensure the contract covered all of them. While working on executing this contract so all departments can continue their work, Vicky has been working to identify an alternate vendor who might be able to further expand departmental access to goods and services.
  
  All the above examples showcase Vicky’s dedication, commitment to the organization, teamwork and innovation as she continues to think of ways to keep Marana moving forward. I would like to nominate Vicky for the exemplary performance award. 

FY24, First quarter

STARLA ANDERSON

Starla Anderson is one of the most dedicated, respectful and innovative employees and leaders for the Town of Marana. Over the last year Starla has gone above and beyond the call of duty. For the Water Billing software implementation and post go-live production, Starla was in integral part of ensuring the new system’s success. She participated in the setup and implementation, established security roles for Finance staff to ensure proper internal controls and identified potential issues and solutions during the process to ensure a successful go-live implementation. In addition, Starla has gone above and beyond by identifying additional improvements. After the change to the new system, a large number of customers opted to start paying with paper checks, which has significantly increased staff time to process them for payment. Starla has been working with the water software developers to implement a bank lockbox that will reduce check handling by Town staff. This will be a new feature for the newly implemented software that will benefit the Town for many years to come. Furthermore, when water staff recently adjusted rates, Starla identified an issue with one of the rates, and has been actively coordinating with the water department and the software development team to ensure the issue is addressed properly and the correct rates are being charged to customers. Finally, Starla has identified possible improvements for user roles in the new billing software and has been coordinating with the water department while continuing to demonstrate her teamwork and leadership through this process. Starla has done all this while going through the annual audit, while she has been training two new staff members (Finance Manager and Senior Accountant) and while implementing new financial reporting software for the production of the Town’s audited financial statements, as well as, performing a number of tasks normally performed by those aforementioned positions which are still in training. In conclusion, I would like to nominate Starla for the Innovation and Exemplary Performance Award as she continues to exemplify the Town’s cultural values, and constantly demonstrates for everyone around her the true meaning of going above and beyond on the job. Thank you, Yiannis Kalaitzidis, Finance Director

BAILEY BELLAVANCE

Over the course of the past several months, Bailey has tirelessly worked with staff from Development Services to overhaul and redesign the Current and Proposed Projects dashboard. This online dashboard is a popular viewer which is utilized extensively by Town staff, including use in Town Council meetings by Council members to keep up to date on development projects. Bailey extensively researched and utilized new technology in order to streamline the updating of data and improve performance, as well as included new visuals to present data not present in the previous version of the dashboard, including current permitting and water usage data. This new version of the Dashboard has received outstanding reviews from both staff and Council members alike, where the Mayor and Council members were thoroughly impressed with the new features, specifically seeing the site plans overlaid on the satellite map, that were presented by Jason Angell during the monthly Development Services update at the Town Council meeting on 12/5 and because of her leadership, initiative and teamwork with Development Services staff, I believe she undoubtedly deserves recognition for her work on this major project.

PAUL MARTINEZ & LOUIS VALENCIA

For several years, the Town of Marana has been a plaintiff in multidistrict litigation regarding water contamination from perfluorinated compounds (PFAS, PFOS, aka "forever chemicals"). This past summer, the largest defendant in the lawsuit, 3M, reached a settlement with the plaintiffs, which will result in 3M paying out $10-13 billion dollars to settle with water providers across the country. Each plaintiff's settlement amount is determined by the volume of contaminated water and the degree of contamination in the water provider's water systems. Paul and Louis Valencia have repeatedly worked to ensure that the Town is providing the best, most timely information to our outside counsel so that the Town receives its fair share of the settlement. In July, they conducted testing of every single one of the Town's water sources at the requested of our attorneys. They then gathered historical data on all of the water sources, and filled out 15-20 page questionnaires for each of our water systems. Since then, they have participated as an integral part of meetings with outside counsel, providing subject matter expertise to the attorneys. The process is still ongoing at this point, but I wanted to take the time now to recognize how much Paul and Louis have gone above and beyond to get this work done for the Town, all while still fulfilling their normal day-to-day functions as well.

DUSTIN WARD

Dustin has taken over a complicated body of work for the Town as the Development Engineering Division Manager. He has tackled this assignment head on, working to improve systems and processes to protect the Town and ensure that developers install necessary improvements according to Town standards. He is also very conscientious in reviewing developer costs whenever the developer is requesting Town or CFD reimbursement, to make sure that the public and citizen's money is being spent appropriately. These actions would be enough to nominate him for a Cultural Value award, but in working with the Town team on one particular development, Dustin went above and beyond. This development has some very complicated and challenging issues that are being dealt with through a variety of development agreements. The developer is entitled to reimbursement for some drainage improvements, but due to a variety of reasons, allocating the costs amongst various improvements became extremely difficult. Dustin took it upon himself to figure out the proper allocation of the costs to various pieces of the infrastructure by using the length of the drainage channels to obtain a percentage to split the costs for design work, since the developer had not done that. He also provided detailed spreadsheets showing the calculations and assumptions that he had made. This work was done in large part after hours, judging by the time of the emails that he sent. Dustin's spreadsheets were provided to the developer as they support the Town's position regarding the costs in a clear and concise way. The developer quickly agreed with Dustin's calculations and we were able to continue moving a very complicated project forward. It's difficult to explain in writing how helpful Dustin's actions were in moving this project in the right direction, but suffice it to say that I don't know where we would be right now on these issues if Dustin hadn't put in this extra effort.

T.O.M.
CULTURAL VALUE AWARD WINNERS

october 2024

krista devlin

Cultural value: Dedicated Service & Respect

While Krista was on lunch she noticed a woman wandering around MMC a little lost and clearly hot, looking to pay for a business license. Krista noticed and got her to the front desk. Krista then came back upstairs and took her back down a bottle of water and a snack. Krista showed Dedicated Service and absolute Respect to our resident.

kelly mccoy

Cultural value: Respect & Teamwork

Kelly has returned to Dispatch after having left the profession for several years. She has returned to us and continues to lead by example for all of our newer dispatchers. Her constant professionalism, is on display each day while taking calls from the community, or answering radio traffic from officers. Most recently she organized the Communication Unit’s Halloween Pumpkin Painting festivities by supplying the paint and pumpkins for everyone to decorate. Throughout the week, Kelly continued to support our team by giving encouraging compliments and providing thoughtful input to all of us, as we brought our painted pumpkin creations to life. Kelly shows her dedication to our team by always supporting her coworkers through tough times and creating fun crafts to raise morale for the holidays. Kelly continues to be a thoughtful and supportive member of the Marana Police Department's Communications Unit.

sylvia hamm

Cultural value: Dedicated Service & Teamwork

Sylvia started with the Town of Marana in April of this year. In the time she has been here she has continuously shown nothing but the highest of standards each and every day. She is constantly eager to learn new things and goes way above and beyond to help not just the people that walk in or call, but to all other employees as well. She is one of the most positive people I have ever met, which shows to everyone around. She asks customers if they would like to be walked to their department or helped to their car. She always asks what she can help with or what she can learn. We have manuals that we use, and she took it upon herself to really learn what is in it to help understand her job better, but is not afraid to ask questions before processing things. She has caught on extremely quickly and is not afraid of how busy and hectic it can be, including the few occasions where she has had to work alone. You are always greeted with a smile and she is quick to offer whatever help is needed. I believe Sylvia to be a huge asset to the Town.

jr burns & christine byler

Cultural value: Dedicated Service & Respect

Christine Byler in Community and Neighborhood Services received a phone call from a woman who lives in Continental Ranch. She was very upset because she had a large dead toad in a pot on her porch. She asked that someone come and remove it for her. After some discussion explaining that is not something that we take care of and suggesting a friend or neighbor might be able to help, it was determined that she had recently moved here from Germany by way of California. She did not have anyone to call and she was not a fan of all the wildlife she was having to deal with at her home in Marana. JR Burns overheard this conversation and told Christine that he would go remove the toad from her property. JR was able to remove the very stinky toad and spent a little time talking with the new Marana resident. While Christine was talking with her on the phone she could tell the woman seemed a bit lonely and could possibly benefit from the Town's senior program. Christine told her about the program and the two locations. She then emailed her information on the program and explained to her about becoming a member. I am recommending both Christine and JR receive a cultural value award for their dedicated service and respect they both showed to this new resident of the Town of Marana. I am sure they both made a positive difference on how she sees our amazing community.

SEPTEMBER 2024

SERGEANT JOE MILLER

Cultural value: Dedicated Service, Respect, Teamwork & Leadership

Over the last three years Sgt Joe Miller was assigned to the Marana Police Department's Community Resource Unit. One of the responsibilities of this position is to act as the liaison between the department and Arizona Chapter of the Special Olympics. Sgt Miller truly excelled at this position. Each of the last three years, Sgt Miller organized the “Tip A Cop” event, at Texas Roadhouse, and the annual Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run, both of which are fundraising events. Sgt Miller's efforts resulted in $22,500 raised and donated to the Special Olympics Organization on behalf of the Marana Police Department. The Marana police Department was recognized for being the highest fundraising agency in the State of Arizona. The department was honored for this achievement by having the Marana Police Department name added or included on the official Special Olympics Torch Run t-shirt. With the Tip A Cop event, Sgt Miller organized large static displays of law enforcement vehicles and equipment as well as arranged for or recruited police personnel (MPD Volunteers, to officers, to the Chief of Police) to show up and participate. This event not only raised money for the Special Olympics athletes, it also provided an excellent opportunity for police personnel to interact with the Marana community, in a positive environment, further nurturing the Town's relationship with the community. Regarding the annual Torch Run, Sgt Miller personally contacted Marana High School administration to identify and contact Special Olympics athletes and their families. Sgt Miller ensured all athletes were invited to the torch run event and provided each athlete a Special Olympics Torch Run shirt. Sgt Miller ordered and sold torch run shirts to raise money for the athletes and worked with Fry's Food Store, Costco, Marana Parks and Recreation, and the Special Olympics State Chapter to put on a BBQ for the athletes and participating law enforcement officers following the run. Sgt Miller spent countless hours, outside of his normal work schedule, networking with various local businesses and other law enforcement agencies in the region in order to bring awareness to the Special Olympics and the athletes that the Marana Police Department supports. The success of these events is absolutely the result of Sgt Miller’s work ethic, dedication and commitment. It should be noted, Sgt Miller is being recognized by the Special Olympics in November 2024 at their annual National Conference for his dedication to their organization. Sgt Miller's commitment to this GREAT cause is an excellent example of his Dedicated Service to the Town of Marana and its citizens, his Respect for the Special Olympics organization and athletes, his Teamwork, and Leadership.

MELANIE STOUGH

Cultural value: Respect

Recently, Melanie Stough in Community and Neighborhood Services, took an animal call from a Marana citizen. The older woman told Melanie that this was a call that she had been dreading making for some time. She explained that she was ill and that she was going to be going into a care facility that following weekend. She said that the doctors didn't think she had a lot of time left. She had been living with her son and he had allowed her 16 year old cat, Magoo, to live there with her, however, her grandson was allergic and they would not be able to keep the cat once she moved. The assisted living facility would not allow the cat either. Melanie explained that Magoo could be surrendered to HSSA . Another option would be finding a friend or neighbor to take the cat. She was very concerned on how her older cat would do in the shelter environment and said there was really no other person to give Magoo a home. This conversation was one of the hardest that Melanie had ever had with a resident. The woman's sadness and concern for her cat brought Melanie to tears. At one point, the woman told Melanie not to worry, it would be alright. Melanie told her that she would ask around to see if she could find someone who would want to take Magoo, and would call her back soon. Well that Sunday, Melanie (who is not a cat person), picked up her new cat. Magoo's owner was beyond grateful for Melanie's incredible act of kindness. Magoo is fitting in nicely with his new family and enjoying all the love and attention he gets from them all. Thank you Melanie for the respect and care that you showed Magoo's owner in her time of need.

june 2024

RENE ROMERO

Cultural value: Dedicated Service

Good Morning Mr. Rozema, I am writing to give accolades to an exceptional employee who works in park maintenance at Rattlesnake Ridge park next to the school in Continental Reserve. The man is named Rene. His tireless work has transformed the park. I have lived in CR since 2011. The park has never been in such great shape. The grass and sitting areas are well kept and look better than ever. Mr. Rene and I often exchange a friendly wave of hello in the early hours of the morning when I walk my dog. He is friendly, always using his safety gear and donning his Marana uniform. When we have exchanged words he is so respectful and gracious. In my opinion, the staff in the parks and maintenance have difficult jobs working in the elements. To encounter such a gentleman who works with a smile and has made such a difference requires acknowledgement. I did look for the email of your Parks and Recreation Director and was not able to locate the email address on your website. Please pass along the compliment to the team and to Mr. Rene who is making the experience in Continental Reserve one that makes us appreciate we live in Marana. Have a great day, Mary Carter @ Sombrero Point Drive

may 2024

Lucas De Los Monteros

Cultural value: Dedicated Service, Respect & Teamwork

Officer Lucas De Los Monteros has been a member of the Marana Police Department for approximately 5.5 years. As such, he has consistently demonstrated or lived up to the PD's mission of providing Unparalleled Service, Unwavering Protection, and to do so with Uncompromised Integrity. Lucas absolutely embraces the concept of being a public servant. Lucas recently expanded this public servant role outside of our community when he became aware of a family in the Oracle, AZ area who was displaced as a result of their home catching fire. Lucas took the lead, in the community, by contacting a local business and arranged a cornhole tournament and “concert” with two different bands performing. The event raised over $2,200 and all proceeds were given to the family. This is a great example of Lucas' character and his efforts to help a family in need should be acknowledged. Respectfully, Lt Joseph Castillo

march 2024

nick brock

Cultural value: Innovation & Leadership

Each year the Marana Water Reclamation Division conducts its annual Sewer Cleaning and Inspection project. Work is done by an outside contractor and invoices are sent to the department detailing the work that was done. In the past, Nick had painstakingly entered each sewer line and manhole that was cleaned, inspected, and televised into Cartegraph one by one. Nick has since created an automation inside Cartegraph that dramatically reduced the time spent on this tedious task. What used to take up to 4 hours to complete can now be done in less than 10 minutes! Engaged Innovation at its finest, great job Nick!

ADAM HUFF

Cultural value: Dedicated Service

Today I spent some time out in the field checking on various projects, stopping at a number of Town Facilities and going to a number of our parks. I happened to be down at Crossroads Park to check out a couple of things and I ran into Adam Huff as we were both driving through the parking lot. He stopped his truck and engaged me in conversation and I explained what I was doing at the park. With a level of enthusiasm and sense of pride he immediately asked me if I was going to El Rio. When I informed him that I was going to be up there shortly he responded, again with a sense of pride, “That’s my park and I’d be happy to show you around if you’d like”. I arrived at the park about 15 minutes later and I saw Adam busy picking up the grounds and he immediately made his way over to me and we began to talk about El Rio. I honestly thought I was talking to an horticulturalist as he explained to me the things he and other staff were working on at the park to improve and maintain it. He talked about the various plant species and as he did so he pointed out and explained which ones were native and which were not. He showed me all the spring flowers and knew the names of every one of them and where they came from. I asked him if he ever talks to residents and shares this information with them and he responded “OH YEAH!”. His knowledge was incredible, but what was even more impressive to me was his attitude. His enthusiasm for the work he did, the pride he took in his work and the joy that it brought him was contagious. In a day in age when many people approach their jobs as a necessary evil, it was so wonderful to talk to Adam who so obviously loves the work he does. Positive, hardworking going about his day providing 5-Star Service. – Terry Rozema

CARMEN MARTINEZ

Cultural value: Dedicated Service & Respect

The Town received a very thoughtful letter from Town of Marana residents wanting to express their gratitude for the outstanding assistance they received from animal control officer Carmen Martinez. The Johnson's found a very skittish stray dog and were able to secure the dog in their backyard. The following is a part of the letter they sent in. Finally, we decided to call the police non-emergency number and "Morgan" was wonderful, and said she would put in a call to Marana Animal Control, who send us this incredible "dog Whisper" Carmen Martinez. She was able to contract the restricted number and reached the owner and had the dog picked up at our home. Because of her, this story has a happy ending. She remained with us until the owner came and she was able to oversee the return of the dog. She was caring, understanding, professional, and so compassionate to this poor lost and overwhelmed dog. Sincerely thankful for people like Carmen and the caliber of people that work at Marana Animal Control.

JANUARY 2024

VINCENT JENKINS

Cultural value: Dedicated Service

In December 2023, officers responded to a residence within the Town of Marana referencing a deceased child. Per policy, detectives with MPD's Criminal Investigations Unit were called out. Detective Vincent Jenkins responded as the primary detective. I watched as Detective Jenkins completed his investigation while having the upmost respect and care for the family dealing with this tragedy. As required, multiple items belonging to the child were initially taken as evidence. Once the investigation was concluded and it was decided that the items could be returned, Detective Jenkins contacted the family advising them of this. All of this is routine and nothing out of the ordinary. However, Detective Jenkins took it upon himself to deliver the items to the family, rather than making them respond to the station. Additionally, some of the bedding taken had biohazard on it. Knowing the impact that could have on the family, Detective Jenkins went above and beyond by laundering the bedding prior to returning it to the family. Note, Detective Jenkins made a second trip to the residence to return this bedding as well. Detective Jenkins' compassionate actions demonstrate outstanding service and the highest level of commitment to the citizens of Marana.