Burleson C.A.R.E.S Fall 2018 Newsletter

BURLESON C.A.R.E.S. C I T I Z E N S A P P R E C I AT E R E M A R K A B L E

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The Importance of Understanding our Citizens Tailoring Communication to Meet Citizens’ Needs For local government to successfully serve citizens, they must first understand their stories: Who are they? What do they care about?

One way the City of Burleson keeps the public informed is through the use of topic lists for email communications. These allow citizens to subscribe for issues that interest them, such as code compliance and public notices.

On the city’s Facebook page, citizens can find upcoming events and discuss questions directly with employees of the city.

In the past several months the city has conducted several surveys to hear from our residents.

In May, we gathered input from our residents on what type of garbage and recycling collection

services they wished to see through an online survey and public meetings. In September and October the city hosted an online survey, focus groups and public meetings for residents to share information on what type of park amentites they want to see in the updated Parks Master Plan. The police department is currently asking for feedback through an online survey. This survey helps the department in their accreditation renewal. You can take the survey here: www.burlesontx.com/police

Local government exists to serve the community, and feedback from the public is a must for continuously improving service delivery.

CITY OF BURLESON

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MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

C I T I Z E N S A P P R E C I AT E R E M A R K A B L E

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RESOURCES Remember to check out Tickets at Work As a City of Burleson employee you receive access to exclusive savings on hotels, theme parks, movie theaters, car rentals, gift cards and more. TicketsatWork partners with Walt Disney World® Resort, Universal Studios®, Las Vegas and New York City shows and performances, Disneyland®, SeaWorld®, Six Flags, Cirque du Soleil and more. To find out more about these one-of-a-kind deals, visit COBWEB or go directly to ticketsatwork.com. Be sure to visit often as new products and discounts are constantly being added.

Visit behealthyburleson.com for links to the following resources Be Safe CDC Injury Prevention & Control Be Well Mental Health America of Texas Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County One Safe Place Be Healthy Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics American Diabetes Association Johnson County Alliance for Healthy Kids Tarrant County Public Health Live A More Colorful Life Choose My Plate Walk Across Texas

QUARTERLY QUOTE “The purpose of government is to enable the people ... to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.”

Thomas Jefferson

C I T I Z E N S A P P R E C I AT E R E M A R K A B L E

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Lynda.com Online Learning - Limitless Learning, Limitless Possibilities Lynda.com is a premier online learning resource offering more than 4,000 courses covering technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies, and more. This resource is available FREE with your library card and City of Burleson employees are eligible for a free library card.

What does Lynda offer?

Lynda for Libraries allows you to watch videos in small, easy-to-manage chunks, and to return to the lessons at your convenience.

Course offerings include: · Art, graphic design, and music classes, teaching everything from 3D animation to engineering sound to the Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and more · Help with computer programs, including Microsoft Office · Courses to help you in your career with everything from public speaking to marketing to dealing with workplace issues · Computer programming, web design and IT management, including Windows, Linux and Mac OS X · Photography and video · Lynda can be accessed online anywhere

C I T I Z E N S A P P R E C I AT E R E M A R K A B L E

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EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER

Becky Propp Youth Services Librarian

GETTING TO KNOW BECKY What motivates you in your job?

I feel really motivated by the families that come to the library. There are a lot of families that I see every single week. I want to make sure that I’m creating programs that not only meet the literacy needs of the children, but that are also fulfilling for their entire family. When individual families flourish, it contributes to the flourishing of the entire community. We want to help make Burleson a great place to live.

What is your favorite customer service story?

We recently started a cooking program for teens. A parent of one of the teens who attends told us that her teen loves

program and has started cooking for himself after school.

We were so excited to hear this because that was our goal for the program. It can be difficult to get teens to participate in programs, let alone use what they learned later on!

What is your best customer service tip?

Be completely present with the person that is front of you. It is easy to become frustrated, if you are thinking about all the other things you could be working on. I never want someone to feel like my to-do list is more important than them. So, sometimes that means dropping what I’m in the middle of to help a patron or a coworker.

My First Job

FRAME OF MIND

My first real job was working at Deck the Walls at South Park Mall in Shreveport in the summer of 1990 right after high school graduation. Deck the Walls was a framing and art store franchised and managed by a married couple. It was the end of the 80s and Patrick Nagel posters were all the rage. The artwork had a lot of solid dark colors and every speck of dust showed.

My boss was very particular and had an eagle eye, so I learned the importance of attention to detail. I really enjoyed the work and it was probably one of the best first job experiences I could have hoped for. I’ve often thought it might be something fun to get back to when I retire.

- Mandy Clark, Director of Development Services

Mandy circa 1990

Are one of your co-workers doing a great job and you think they should be recognized in the newsletter? Send us their story - dphillips@burlesontx.com or cstaton@burlesontx.com CITY OF BURLESON

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MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT