Cosumnes Connect Newsletter - January 2024

January 2024

MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER

Happy New Year! The District is off to a great start in 2024.

CORE Recreation Center has gone vertical with steel beams and columns in place, Station 77 construction is on the home stretch, the Rotary Grove revitalization project is progressing well, and several more projects are in the pipeline.

The New Year often means an opportunity to start over and set new goals and resolutions, hoping for improvement. Still, here at the District, leadership is committed to continuing the great work started, encouraging and supporting personnel so that we can achieve our shared goals and support our strategic initiatives.

The Fire Department just kicked off Fire Academy 2024-01 to mitigate the attrition caused by retirements and promotions as well as fill new positions created through Measure E. Administrative Services continues to shine having recently been awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by GFOA and will continue to provide quality support to all of the District’s departments. Parks & Recreation is building upon their CAPRA accreditation and continue to work on improving our recreation offerings and the excellent maintenance of our parks and open spaces that make Elk Grove such a beautiful community. Facility & Development will continue to maintain our facilities as well as design and build more award-winning parks and facilities.

2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the Giant Pumpkin Festival! I'm sure this year's event will be bigger and better than ever.

There is much to look forward to in 2024.

Thank you for continuing to provide the highest level of service to our community, this year and every year.

AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE Finance has received several submissions from vendors who enrolled in the Automated Clearing House (ACH).

Enrollment will stay open to allow for as many vendors as possible to make the transition. ACH is a form of Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) that allows funds to transfer between banking institutions.

Rather than receiving payment via paper check, vendors can opt to receive payment directly to their bank account.

This marks a significant step in our commitment to streamlining our payment process and enhancing efficiencies.

Please share and encourage our current and potential vendors to sign up for EFT. It’s a straightforward process that can be completed quickly and offers immediate benefits.

Finance also encourages personnel to include, when possible, the recommendation for vendors who are responding to an RFP to opt into the ACH. To ensure a seamless and secure experience, we encourage vendors to sign up for EFT through this link https://portal.laserfiche.com/j4468/forms/ ACH-ENROLLMENT-CHANGE .

If you or your vendors have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to Accounts Payable at ap@cosumnescsd.gov.

GFOA AWARD - FINANCE Cosumnes Community Services District is proud to announce that it received the Government Finance Officers Association's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its Fiscal Years 2023-24 & 2024-25 Biennial Budget document.

This award signifies a significant accomplishment for the District and demonstrates the commitment of both its governing body and personnel to uphold the highest standards of governmental budgeting. To qualify for this budget award, the District had to meet nationally recognized guidelines for effectively presenting its budget. These guidelines assess how well the budget serves: 1. A policy document 2. A financial plan 3. An operations guide 4. A communications tool To receive the award, the budget document had to receive a "proficient" rating in all four of these categories, as well as in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories.

BRANDING GUIDELINES

We are thrilled to announce the completion of the Brand Identity Guidelines. These guidelines are designed to align seamlessly with the District's mission, vision, values, strategic direction, and goals.

Our brand is a powerful representation of who we are and what we stand for. It communicates the quality and reliability of our mission and vision, and its strength lies in the consistency and commitment we exhibit across the District. We invite you to play a crucial role in reinforcing and implementing these guidelines.

Find the Brand Identity Guidelines on the Cosumnes Connect intranet at www.cosumnescsd.gov/1341/Branding The guidelines will be regularly updated as we continue to extend our brand. If you have any materials that require branding updates, please don't hesitate to reach out, and you can place a Graphics work order for assistance.

Your commitment is integral to the success of our brand. We can collectively strengthen our brand and enhance our reputation by working together to implement and educate our teams on the Brand Identity Guidelines.

The Classification and Compensation Study is nearing its completion. Evergreen has established its benchmarking, completed their review of the identified classifications, and is gathering market data. This project is progressing on time and results will be communicated to personnel before the end of this calendar year’s first quarter.

Linked here is the Introduction Letter from Evergreen Solutions that provided more insight into the anticipated project timelines, the various stages of the study, and an overview of what to expect at each stage.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to HR Director Sheena Newman.

PARKS AND RECREATION NEWS Winter Beach Bash

Flag Lowering in Honor of Ken Patton

On December 21st, Youth Development personnel participated in the “Winter Beach Bash,” which included team-building activities in a Hawaiian-themed holiday party.

On the morning of December 22nd, the Cosumnes CSD flag was lowered to halfstaff in remembrance of Ken Patton.

Several current and previous personnel attended the ceremony. Ken passed away at the age of 81 and he will be greatly missed.

Teen Pathways – Winter Wonderland Late Night On December 8th, Teen Pathways hosted 51 teens during a Winter Wonderland Late Night event at the Teen Center of the Wackford Community Complex.

Participants enjoyed hot chocolate, a tri-tip dinner, and made gingerbread houses, and other winter-themed activities.

Flannels and Flapjacks On December 2nd, the District and the Pride of Laguna Lions Club held its annual Flannels & Flapjacks Event at Elk Grove Pavilion, where over 250 members of the community enjoyed pancakes and had the opportunity to take pictures with Santa, and Mascots.

RAD Fundraiser On December 8th in observance of National Day of Persons With Disabilities Day, a fundraiser was held at BJ’s Restaurant.

BJ’s donated 20% of all food sales from 11 am to 11 pm. Over $180 was raised to benefit the District’s RAD program.

Upcoming Events: Teen Pathways Late Night Event Sweethearts Paint Night - Friday, 2/23 from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm @ Wackford Complex, Teen Center Butterfly Ball - Friday, 2/2 from 6:00 pm9:00 pm and Saturday, 2/3 from 5:00 pm8:00 pm at District 56 Shamrockin’ Saturday Night - Saturday, 3/9 from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm at District 56 Embrace the green vibes at our Saturday Night Family Dance Party!

Free Staff Yoga - Main Office, Tuesdays, 1/23 - 2/6 and 2/20 - 3/5 from 12:00 pm-1:00 pm. Voluntary Attendance. Bring your mat or borrow one of ours.

FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS 2023 Toy Drive The Fire Department participated and organized a toy drive in both Elk Grove and Galt. With assistance from the Galt Police Department, they gave toys to over 600 kids and 300 families. Elk Grove received toy donations from the Santa and Sirens event and was able to support 135 families and 317 kids.

Thank you all for helping make these holidays memorable for our communities.

Chief Gerald Derr

Retired Elk Grove Fire Chief Gerald Derr was laid to rest following a funeral service on December 27, 2023. Chief Derr served over 50 years as Fire Chief, General Manager, and Board Member for the Elk Grove Fire District, Elk Grove Community Services District, and Cosumnes Community Services District, retiring in 2008. He was honored by family, friends, and fire department personnel, including the Sacramento Fire Fighters Pipes and Drums. His favorite antique fire engine, a 1925 Seagrave, was on display per his request; he had purchased it for $300 and restored it to its original condition. Chief Derr most definitely left a lasting legacy and will be greatly missed.

CORE RECREATION CENTER The CORE Recreation Center is a construction project that aims to provide top-notch fitness and sports facilities to the residents of Elk Grove. The project started in May of 2023 and is estimated to be completed in early 2025.

The construction work is currently 27% complete. The slab and footings have already been finished, and the installation of the structural steel framing and mezzanine deck is currently underway. The construction crew works diligently to complete the project on time and within budget.

We have created a fantastic logo for the CORE Recreation Center, which has already been approved. The logo represents the energy and vitality of the facility and is aligned with the vision of the project.

Our planning personnel are working hard on designing an attractive concrete monument sign for the building. The design will be modern and eye-catching for the facility.

The project is currently on track regarding the schedule, and we expect to meet the deadline of early 2025. We will keep monitoring the progress and make necessary adjustments to ensure the project is completed on time.

We will continue to provide updates on the project's progress and any significant developments.

STAFF HIGHLIGHT PROMOTIONS Kavita Takhar, Management Analyst Park Operations

POSITION CHANGES Drew Golbin, Management Analyst Park Operations

Marisela Suarez Administrative Specialist Fire Department

Meet Elenice Gomez, the District Clerk.

Elenice loves spending time outside, trail running, camping, and golfing. Elenice just celebrated her 31st wedding anniversary to Denny, the best cook in the world! Elenice and Denny are now empty nesters; 2 of her 3 kids have graduated college, and the youngest is currently a sophomore at UC Davis.

Elenice considers successfully raising her 3 children one of her greatest accomplishments. Running her first marathon and 50K trail run at 54 years of age were also great accomplishments.