Inside the City 9 October 2020 Edition

Inside the City of Tumwater Date: October 9, 2020 To:

Mayor Pete Kmet City Councilmembers City Employees

From: John Doan, City Administrator

PEOPLE

EVENTS

New Firefighter Paramedic Hired

The newest City Firefighter Paramedic is Joseph Williamson. Joseph attended Central Washington University and received his paramedic certification from Tacoma Community College earlier this year.

He currently works as an EMT in King County, an Emergency Technician at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, and is a Firefighter Paramedic at West Mason Fire Rescue and was an intern at Tumwater Fire last spring. Welcome to Tumwater Joseph!

Jay Eaton Honored, Even in Retirement The Association of Washington Cities has recognized retired Public Works Director Jay Eaton with an AWC Civic Service Award for 31 years of public service.

Congrats, Jay! It is rumored that Jay was last seen on a beach somewhere – we don’t know if that was a real or virtual beach.

Happy Birthday, Stream Team

Join the friends of Stream Team tonight at 6:30 p.m. for an online event to celebrate 30 years of Stream Team. There will be live-streamed music, Stream Team trivia, a slide show of past and present volunteers, and visits by past and present Stream Team coordinators. Register online to join the fun!

Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan

Help make Thurston County a healthier, more livable, and

resilient

place

for

current

and

future

generations. Learn more and share your feedback on the draft Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan by attending the online Open House now through Thursday, October 15. Or, attend the upcoming virtual community meeting, 5 p.m., Wednesday, October 14, 2020.

Virtual Benefits Week: October 13-16

Benefits Week offers employees an opportunity to learn about medical, dental and vison plans. This

What You Need to Know About Phishing & Credential Stuffing

year we are going virtual with live Zoom sessions.

Get the information you need about the different Benefit Plans and any changes to the plans for 2021.

Juliann McGarva sent a flyer to all employees with instructions to participate. Check with her or a coworker if you have misplaced it.

The month of November is Open Enrollment. This is when employees may add or drop dependents and

Is at the end of the newsletter!

select insurance plans. Any changes made will start January 1, 2021.

Washington Great ShakeOut 10:15 a.m., October 15, 2020

Lodging Tax Advisory Committee Awards Funds The City Lodging Tax Advisory Committee awarded $150,000 in funding for 2021. These funds are collected from past and future lodging tax revenue and are limited to activities that promote tourism.

Among the major support is the Airshow, Thunder Valley Fireworks, Kick in the Grass, the VCB, and

While COVID-19 has brought many uncertainties

continued marketing of “Tumwater Craft.”

and challenges, one thing’s for sure: ShakeOut is still happening this year! Major earthquakes may happen anywhere you live, work, or travel. The Great ShakeOut is our chance to practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” to prevent injuries.

It’s Sock-tober!

The City is helping the Tumwater Rotary Club by holding our very own Sock Drive. Everyone is invited to bring new socks—for kids or adults—and drop

New this year is funding for a weeklong celebration related to Tumwater Craft corresponding with the opening of the Craft District. SPSCC is welcoming their second cohort of brewing, distilling, and cider students to their new facility in the Craft District.

them off in the City Council Chambers before Thursday, October 22. Your donations will be part of the big Food (and sox) Drive sponsored by Tumwater

PLACES

Rotary on October 23 and 24.

If you would like to donate to the Drive, Rotary will be collecting non-perishable food, personal care items, and diapers. Drive through the parking lot at the WSDOT Regional Office (5720 Capitol Boulevard - across from McDonalds), 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 2020.

DRC Looks at More Housing The Development Review Committee is looking at the feasibility of a 5-story residential complex with 165 units to be located on Tyee Drive between the Toyota dealership and the pedestrian overpass. Of those total units, 55 would be one-bedroom and 73 would be studios. There is also a proposal for a twostory, 67,000 s.f. mini-storage at the intersection of Tyee Drive and Israel Road.

Construction Starting on 93rd Avenue SW

The planned construction of a new roundabout at 93rd Avenue SW and Lathrop Industrial Drive SW begins Monday. Drivers in the area should plan to practice patience through the spring of next year. In addition to the roundabout, a deep sewer main is also being installed. These improvements are funded by the adjacent development.

INSIDE THE CITY Illustrating our Mission, Vision, or Beliefs in Action.

The 200+ City of Tumwater employees and officials operate with the public’s trust. By law, by policy, and by our values – we remember that trust and keep it at the forefront as we do our work. The City has a strong ethics commitment as stated in our personnel policies.

I encourage everyone to read our ethics policy and remind themselves what it says.

One handy tool to think about ethics is: Doing the Right Thing, even if no one is watching.

Here are a couple of scenarios that could happen. How would you respond?

1. You serve on a committee to develop the specifications for a major piece of equipment for your department. After the purchase is made, the vendor sends you and all the committee members a winter coat with their logo on it as a token of their appreciation. Do you accept the coat?

2. A customer who regularly comes in to the City counter where you work for business drops off a plate of cookies to show their appreciation. Do you accept the cookies? What if they also include a bottle of bourbon with the cookies?

3. You are doing a home remodel project. You need a few tools that you do not have at home, but you know you have them at work. They do not get

used often. Should you borrow the tools after work Friday and bring them back on Monday morning?

Let’s see how these relate to our ethics policy and doing the right thing.

1. Employees are allowed to accept certain gifts under $50 in value (See Policy 8.04.C.1.m). There are two problems with accepting this coat. First is that it probably exceeds the value of $50. The second is that you were involved in the decision, even if not directly, to purchase this equipment.

That could be perceived as rewarding you for the purchase. This vendor could also be back selling another piece of equipment in the future that would jeopardize the appearance of fairness. You should not accept the coat. If it is mailed to you, you and your fellow committee members could communicate to the vendor your appreciation – let them know you can’t accept gifts. If you cannot return the coat, you may donate it to the clothing bank.

2. Employees are allowed under the ethics policy to accept certain unsolicited gifts of food (See Policy 8.04.C.1.d) if the food is shared with other employees and the public. In this COVID-era, you should be careful accepting food from the public and sharing it with co-workers. From just an ethical standpoint, you can accept the cookies and should share them with your co-workers and the public. The bottle of bourbon is not acceptable because it probably exceeds the $50 limit and it is not possible to share it with others at work. In situations where you receive a potentially problematic gift, some remedies avoid it being an ethical problem. You should consult your supervisor or City Attorney if you have questions or end up in these situations.

3. This one should be easy. Policy 8.04.B.2 says you cannot use City resources for personal use. You cannot take the equipment home, even if over the weekend when no one is planning to use it.

Great job if you got them all right. Test your ethics skills with more questions like these.

5 Ways To Avoid Phishing Emails Scam email attempting to get a user to perform a malicious task, such as hand over credentials, click a link, or open an attachment.

Be suspicious

Tricks

Be suspicious and skeptical when receiving unexpected email.

Attackers can make very convincing replicas of official emails and websites.

Pay attention Pay close attention to the details.

For example, a misplaced period in an email address.

Verify Verify details using another channel of communications before performing requested actions.

Don't be fooled Attackers can spoof or fake the name or address on an email.

Ej email us at helpdesk@ci.tumwater.wa.us

4 Ways To Avoid Credential Stuffing Using credentials harvested around the internet on other sites and services.

Be smart Never use the same password on more than one site or service.

Be unique Use a password manager to generate unique and strong passwords. KeePass setup and use links at https://helpdesk/ or https:// keepass.info/

Be alert Change your password if you think it may have been compromised.

Be careful Do not use a password that shows up in an online breach database. https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Ej email us at helpdesk@ci.tumwater.wa.us