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Department Summaries Contents Airport (Scott Gray) .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Animal Services (Randi Weinberg) .................................................................................................................................... 2 Capital Planning (Scott Gray) ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Capital Projects (Todd Estes) ............................................................................................................................................ 2 City Secretary’s Office (Rosa Rios) .................................................................................................................................... 3 Community Services (Dani Shaw) ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Denton Municipal Electric (DME) (Tony Puente) ............................................................................................................... 3 Development Services (Scott McDonald) .......................................................................................................................... 4 Economic Development (Jessica Rogers) .......................................................................................................................... 4 Environmental Services (Dr. Kenneth Banks) .................................................................................................................... 5 Facilities Management (Scott Gray) .................................................................................................................................. 6 Finance/Customer Service (David Gaines) ........................................................................................................................ 6 Fire (Kenneth Hedges)...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Fleet (Ethan Cox) .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Human Resources (Tiffany Thomson) ............................................................................................................................... 7 Internal Audit (Umesh Dalal) ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Legal (Aaron Leal) ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Library (Jennifer Bekker) .................................................................................................................................................. 8 Municipal Court (Lorri Brighton)....................................................................................................................................... 8 Parks and Recreation (Gary Packan) ................................................................................................................................. 9 Police (Frank Dixon) ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Procurement/Compliance (Cassey Ogden) ......................................................................................................................10 Public Affairs (Sarah Kuechler) ........................................................................................................................................10 Risk Management/Health (Cassey Ogden) .......................................................................................................................11 Solid Waste (Brian Boerner) ............................................................................................................................................11 Streets and Drainage (Ethan Cox) ....................................................................................................................................11 Sustainability / Recycling Public Outreach (Dr. Kenny Banks) ...........................................................................................11 Technology Services (Melissa Kraft) ................................................................................................................................11 Utility Administration (Dr. Kenny Banks) .........................................................................................................................12 Utilities Strategic Operations (Dr. Kenny Banks) ..............................................................................................................12 Water and Wastewater Utilities (Frank Pugsley)..............................................................................................................12 2 Summary of COVID-19 Departmental Activities Compiled April 27, 2020 for Week of 4/20 – 4/24 Airport (Scott Gray) • The Director is assigned to Executive Team B and has been working remotely this week. Director attending the CMO Director’s meeting and shared details with staff as appropriate. Director coordinating department’s efforts in all COVID-19 related issues or inquiries. • Airport staff continued staff separation protocol and the Terminal Building has remained closed to the general public since Friday, March 20. • Administrative staff (Administrative Assistant III, Operations/Maintenance Supervisor, and Airport Manager (Director)) continue to work remotely, subject to call in for emergencies or reduction of staff due to COVID-19 staff exposure. • Operation staff has reduced daily presence to Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to conduct daily airfield safety and security inspections and airfield maintenance. • Maintenance staff has been assigned the Parks & Recreation Department’s city-wide mowing crews. Airfield maintenance will be conducted by Airport Operations staff and Quebec T-Hangars will be maintained by the Facilities Maintenance Department. • Staff is continuing to coordinate with TxDOT Aviation regarding the release and acquisition of new COVID-19 aviation related funding. Animal Services (Randi Weinberg) • All staff are onsite as of April 20. • Serviced 215 animals through the emergency pet food pantry. • Field Officers are running all service calls for the community as of April 20. • Partnered with Our Daily Bread to provide pet food for their pantry. Capital Planning (Scott Gray) • All personnel have continued to work remotely. Staff is participating in various Microsoft Teams video conferences to keep related design and construction projects on track. Staff continues work site visits as necessary for inspections or construction coordination. Staff began discussions with contractors to determine if they anticipate delays due to supply chain or workforce delays. Capital Projects (Todd Estes) • Real Estate automation – Project status updates are continuing. User training information is being finalized. • Project Management Office and Project Delivery put together an updated schedule that is under review. • Development Review Engineering is continuing to review all administratively approved applications, field changes, and material changes remotely. • Pre-Construction Meetings and Applicant Meetings are being held through Microsoft Teams. • All staff that can, are working remotely. • We are maintaining a rotating shift of Public Works inspectors, 1 week at home and 1 week at the Service Center. • Construction is still taking place, so we have modified inspection procedures to provide the maximum safety for personnel. • Capital Projects administration is working remotely. • Property Acquisitions are still moving forward. • Traffic Operations has been split into an A shift and B shift and are working rotating shifts. • In-house design is continuing as normal. Plans are being developed to move additional work to the internal Engineering design team. 3 • The department is making contingency plans for personnel in the event of escalation and de-escalation of the current emergency. City Secretary’s Office (Rosa Rios) • Staff continues to work remotely and on-site as needed for Council meetings and finalize any work that cannot be completed remotely. • Staff continues to answer telephones/emails and direct inquiries to the appropriate department/resources. • Staff continues to process open records requests within established deadlines. • Staff continues to process City Council actions within the established meeting deadlines. Community Services (Dani Shaw) • Attending virtual meetings with local, state, and federal organizations to stay current on COVID-19 funding opportunities. • In final development of the 2020-2022 Consolidated Plan and have added CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funding. CD staff will be scheduling virtual meetings of CDAC and HSAC for May; planning for substantial amendment to the 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan for CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funding; coordinating city council work session, public comment, and public hearing schedules; and planning for City Council approval of the 2020-2022 Consolidated Plan in July. • Coordinating closely with ODB, MKOC, and TSA regarding operation levels at hotel sites including oversite of emergency shelter hotel with support of multiple city offices and security firm. • Community Development staff continue to work remotely, and Code Enforcement officers are split into A/B shifts rotating daily, working remotely or on-site in the office until May 4 or later if extended by City Manager. • Maintaining modified code enforcement operations necessary to monitor neighborhoods and process code complaints, as well as assisting with other tasks such as coordination with Legal, Development Services, and Public Affairs in ongoing Disaster Declaration Enforcement and M-F lunch time delivery of ODB meals to shelter hotel. • Continuing community development operations necessary to maintain HUD compliance and drawdowns, processing requests for emergency housing assistance, completing public facility projects, supporting human services grants agencies, and overseeing three current housing renovation projects. Residential Construction Specialist is conducting work site visits only as necessary for emergency repair assessment, inspections, or construction coordination while implementing modified inspection procedures to provide the maximum safety for staff, contractors, and residents. City of Denton on track to meet CDBG Timeliness Test in June. • Answering telephone calls, emails, and providing referrals to available community resources. • Virtual weekly meeting with local non-profits regarding services, logistics, and donation management each week. With support from Public Affairs, CD staff is managing and updating a master list of services online: www.cityofdenton.com/coronavirusresources. • Assisting KDB/Parks with coordinating staff to volunteer at local nonprofits (ODB, MKOC, DCFC, etc.) as needed. Added bilingual staff to assist Denton Community Food Center with translation assistance for Food Pantry clients. Denton Municipal Electric (DME) (Tony Puente) • Personal Protection Equipment consistent with the City of Denton COVID 19 PPE guidelines has been distributed to all employees. Masks were distributed to all office and cubicle spaces. One time use masks are available at building check in station. • DME initiated field inspections to ensure compliance with City of Denton COVID 19 PPE guidelines. • DME campus remains closed to non DME personnel. • Field Operations, System Operations, Metering, and Substations returned to Level 1 staffing plan. No changes to employee availability list. • Non-field staff began the transition back to working at DME campus. This will be completed over a period of time to limit the number of employees occupying shared space. 4 • Work continues on the Cooper Creek to Arco 138kV transmission line. Construction is scheduled to be completed by June 1, 2020. • Field crews began working on backload of projects and maintenance tasks that were deemed not critical. • Work continues on the relocation of the distribution line along the Mayhill expansion project. • Mandatory ERCOT testing of substation relays continues with one station completed this week. • Wooden pole replacement project will restart on Monday, April 27. Development Services (Scott McDonald) • All staff that can are working remotely including development review employees. A limited number of staff who preferred working from the office have continued to work from the Development Services Center. • All Building and Health inspectors have returned to working full time. These individuals will be working remotely from their vehicles, there will be only one inspector per vehicle, and they will only enter the facility if necessary. • Development Services continues to receive applications for projects which do not require City Council or Planning and Zoning Commission approval. • Building permit intake and review is continuing as normal with applications being accepted online. • Staff is continuing to hold pre-application conferences and pre-construction meetings with applicants using teleconferencing technology. • Development Services staff is verifying contractor registration via MS Teams video conferencing in lieu of face to face interactions. • Development Service staff is successfully filing plats and other documents following an interim process that staff established in coordination with Denton County. • Remote phone software has been installed and headsets provided to Development Services employees allowing them to answer phone calls remotely and lessening the call volume for on-site employees. • Development Services staff has continued retail/grocer education, monitoring compliance, and informing retailers of best practices including targeted outreach to retailers who re-opened under the new retail “to go” model on April 24. • Development Services staff, in collaboration with CIS, are responding to emergency order investigations and complaints. • Development Services staff drafted a checklist to use when making future COVID-19 related site visits to ensure consistency between inspectors and to improve the quality of data collected. • In collaboration with the Library, the hard copy files in the Development Services Center are being digitally imaged including building plans, certificates of occupancy, and historic preservation documents. Economic Development (Jessica Rogers) • Continued to work with Public Affairs, CMO, and United Way to develop and implement the expanded Information and Referral Service. • Conducting analyses and preparing information related to CARES Act programs including expansions to unemployment insurance programs, Paycheck Protection Program, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Programs. o Provided updates to City Council regarding status of the PPP, EIDL, and unemployment insurance distribution. o Review information for Public Affairs regarding social media graphics and posts. • Reviewed and provided updates regarding unemployment and labor force data and reports released by the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Texas Workforce Commission. • Continued discussions with TIP Strategies regarding short-term economic development strategies and plans related to the COVID-19 response framework and how to best position Denton for a quick recovery when it is safe to do so. • Updating social media pages with relevant information for businesses, and providing information and resources to other partners to post for their audiences. 5 • Working with Community Improvement Services, Development Services, Public Affairs, and Legal on essential business determinations and implementation of retail to-go model. o Participated in retail to-go windshield survey on Saturday, April 25 to determine effectiveness of implementation. o Distributed retail to-go information to local property managers and developers with large number of retail tenants. o Discussed retail to-go model and business needs with property managers. • Reviewed and submitted information regarding actions being taken in cities and economic development organizations across the state to support businesses and respond to the crisis. • Monitored draft and final rules from federal agencies related to CARES Act implementation and distributing information accordingly; and continue to monitor potential new appropriations or legislation regarding economic support programs. • Monitoring information being released by Federal Reserve regarding economic support and monetary policy changes, including new lending programs that could help support local governments and small businesses. • Making regular check-in calls on major employers and large retailers to understand impacts, answer questions, and provide workforce assistance. • Worked with Denton Main Street Association regarding information updates for the downtown businesses and assisted in preparation of DMSA grant application. • Participated in DMSA promotions team meeting and discussed converting spring events into virtual events. • Drafted new text for the SHOP page to promote how to safely support small and local businesses. • Started discussions on late summer and fall special events, including operational decisions and timelines. • Reviewed labor market data being released through economic development software programs. • Review NOFA for Economic Development Administration programs to determine eligibility for participation. • Working with local restaurants regarding supplemental meal assistance for shelters and first responders. • Responded to requests for information and interview requests from Denton Record Chronicle. • Initiated discussions with other departments regarding reorganization of some board/committee operations. • Drafted responses to questions regarding federal programs, state assistance programs, and local resources. • Working with State of Texas Music Office on ways to support musicians during COVID-19 pandemic. • Coordinating with Workforce Solutions for North Texas on resources for employers and claimants for unemployment insurance and helping businesses access other workforce programs. • Attending/participating in webinars, online trainings, and conference calls with Denton Main Street Association, Stoke Denton, Denton Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Texas Workforce Commission, IEDC, TEDC, Buxton, and Texas Downtown Association. • Working with Denton Chamber of Commerce and Denton Main Street Association to provide resources for those organizations to distribute to their membership. • Maintaining a tracking list of available free educational resources and assistance programs for businesses and sharing information through the regional Denton County economic development/chamber of commerce work group. • Working with Public Affairs on public information for businesses. • Maintaining/continuing regular operations necessary for department, including incentive administration and compliance, preparation of agenda items, and other standard department functions. Environmental Services (Dr. Kenneth Banks) • Developed guidelines for implementing personal protective equipment according to risk levels of exposure and protocols for monitoring staff health in preparation for the return of staff to city facilities. • All personnel have been provided with appropriate personal protective equipment • Inspections of gas well sites continue as programmed. • Staff is actively involved in the development review as needed. • The Municipal Laboratory continues performing regulatory testing for the city’s drinking water plants and water reclamation plant, and for public water systems (PWSs) from nearby communities. 6 • The Municipal Laboratory continues performing regulatory testing for the city’s drinking water plants and water reclamation plant, and for public water systems (PWSs) from nearby communities. Facilities Management (Scott Gray) • All maintenance staff have returned to their normal Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift. Response to emergency needs and COVID-19 needs as well as the on-call technician rotation remains in full effect. Preventative maintenance work has been reinstated to provide the best possible and most efficient care to all City facilities. • Staff will continue responding to City-wide COVID-19 related facilities cleaning requests, including coordination of 3rd party janitorial services for deep-cleaning requests. Two staff members have access and are responsible for the majority of City building security changes (e.g., facility lockdowns, access requests, etc.). At the request of the PIO, staff is ensuring any COVID-19 related posters or signage, with updated closure dates, are delivered and posted on external doors at each City facility. Additionally, maintenance staff inspect each building throughout the week to look for any issues that would normally be reported by staff housed in the buildings. • Spending is being limited to necessary and/or COVID-19 related items only as a cost savings measure. • USPS pickup and delivery continues by City Warehouse staff for facilities without external mailboxes. Any City facility with external mailboxes or the ability to continue receiving mail from the Postal Worker, has continued normal USPS. Finance/Customer Service (David Gaines) • Finance o Finalized preliminary financial projections for the General Fund, Internal Service Funds, and Utility Funds as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impact. o Based on the April 21 Council meeting, staff is tracking, and monitoring cost reduction strategies identified in phase 1. o Staff continues to track and monitor COVID-19 related expenses for possible FEMA reimbursement. o Staff is working work with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to begin the reimbursement process. o Staff is working to automate the accounts payable process. Recent activities include, automation of expense reports, check requisitions and refund request. • Customer Service o Assisting United Way with the CARES Act assistance program. o Assisting with public phone lines for City Council meetings. o Building on-site resources to serve as an emergency back-up to WFH barriers such as internet outages o Monitoring and analyzing past due balance growth. o Creating strategies to assist customers and prevent service interruptions after reinstatement of standard practices. Fire (Kenneth Hedges) • Coordinated a cross-departmental Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) working group that was tasked with developing recommendations based on the latest CDC guidelines for daily use of PPE by non-medical staff. • Public Safety PPE working group continues to monitor burn rates of current stock as well as reviewing and implementing changes coming from the CDC. Implemented the use of UV cabinets to sanitize current PPE to prolong the life of each piece. • Continued working with Denton State Supported Living Center on a COVID-19 plan implementation. A Unified Command structure continues to review updates during a weekly briefing. • Continued weekly discussions of a group of representatives from City of Denton, Denton County, Medical City Denton and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton to regularly communicate medical needs/responses to COVID-19. 7 • Continued support and coordination of Emergency Operations Center. Staff participate in daily conference calls and distribute a summary report to EOC members. • Developed guidelines for MKOC hotel site for infection control and exposure actions. • Two dedicated COVID-19 ambulances continue to offset workload of primary Fire response units. Continual response modifications are being made for the COVID-19 units. Fleet (Ethan Cox) • Technicians are returning to full work schedule. Normal 7am to 7pm operating hours will resume on 4/27. o Temperature stations will be setup to monitor employees at the beginning of shift. o Technicians will be issued masks to be worn when unable to maintain the proper social distance. • All personnel that can work remote will continue for the time being. Human Resources (Tiffany Thomson) • Separate emails/phone calls to employees on leave to ensure receipt of VSP information. • Responding to questions via phone and email from employees and supervisors about EFMLA, RTW procedures, and other concerns related to leaves and absences. • Reviewing updated guidance from EEOC on COVID-19 and ADA and DOL fact sheet on COVID-19 and USERRA. • Specifically communicating with employees on leaves unrelated to COVID-19 and the limitations therein of FFCRA. • Acting as the timekeeper for employees on EFMLA to track FMLA and ensure proper coding since this time is paid through ESLA and then at 2/3. • Development, editing, refining Voluntary Separation Program and accompanying documents; assisted with the launch of the Program. • Assisted employees and leaders with questions about the VSP program and other organizational impacts of budget reductions; provided acknowledgments of receipt for VSP Interest. • VSP assistance: o Phone calls – employees requesting retiree rate sheet for assistance with retiree insurance and timing of coverage. o Emails – employees requesting retiree rate sheet and materials for assistance with retiree insurance and timing of coverage. o Assisted HR Team Members with questions about how retirement, benefits, and leaves will be impacted by the VSP. • Spoke with other cities about the VSP program. • Worked to develop a staged process for the VSP including efficient methods to process documentation received and to be provided to Eligible Employees. • Facilitated a meeting with HR staff, Parks, and Payroll to determine the process to bring Temp/Seasonal employees back after summer or when needed (drugs tests, background checks, employment forms, etc.). • Created a spreadsheet to assist with the tracking of those who get approved for the VSP that choose to retire. • Monitored and responded to the Return to Work Requests from employees returning to work after being ill. o 6 requests to return to work forms worked last week. • Prepared HR PPE SOPs. • Attended departmental PPE meetings. • Reviewed departmental PPE SOPs for W/WW. • Daily update of the Remote Work Resources page (https://codenton.sharepoint.com/sites/codsp/COVIDHR). • Building live virtual training sessions. • Coordination of recruitment for Municipal Judge and City Auditor. • Pursued purchase of new Applicant Tracking and On-Boarding System (NEOGOV). • Updated HR HUB pages. 8 • Continued management of Hiring Freeze, applications, and new hires. • Volunteered at Our Daily Bread. • Researched the CARES Act and attended teams meeting including other HR staff from other Cities. • Worked on updating Civil Service Rules in preparation for approval by the Civil Service Commission. • Reviewed and analyzed information from an administrative review of employee’s concerns. Internal Audit (Madison Rorschach) • All internal Audit personnel are working remotely and performing their duties with electronic communication and Microsoft Teams. • Staff provides weekly status reports to auditee teams on the status of all ongoing audits. • Audit staff has attended two informational meetings with other local government auditors in the past two weeks, which discussed audit shops’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. • One staff member volunteered at Our Daily Bread Legal (Aaron Leal) • City Attorney has advised staff and drafted resolution regarding voter safety and mail-in ballots. • City Attorney has advised staff on budget reduction strategies. • Attorneys have been researching and anticipating needs based on Gov. Abbot’s order allowing retail businesses to operate on a pick-up only basis. • Attorneys continue to respond to questions on employment issues stemming from COVID-19. • Attorneys have been performing research in anticipation of the need for further orders in coordination with the gubernatorial orders. • Prosecutor continues meeting with Code Enforcement, Fire Inspection, and PD to review complaints received regarding non-essential businesses continuing to operate. Library (Jennifer Bekker) • Library staff is working an A/B schedule, with half working in library branches and half working remotely to continue providing customer service, providing resources, and supporting library operations. Staff is using MS Teams and phone conference calls for virtual meetings. • Library staff continues to answer phone and email questions related to accounts, reference, and reader’s advisory. Staff is also conducting research for patrons while library facilities are closed. • Materials continue to be returned. Staff is checking in materials, sorting, and shelving to keep items from backing up. • Plans to reactivate curbside and drive up pickup for available hold materials were finalized. Patrons with existing holds were contacted on April 22-23 that they could begin picking up their materials on Friday, April 24. • Created social media marketing and engagement content on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram. Wrote and posted new lkibrary blog posts. Planned, prepared, and conducted online programming events. o Online book club, Virtually Together o Virtual StoryTime Live (Wednesdays @ 11 a.m.) o Adult Book Talks o Youth Book Talk o Teen Book Talk o How-to/Craft activities • Several library staff members assisted at Our Daily Bread. Municipal Court (Jamie Lindsay) • Essential Staff is rotating shifts in the office • Court Window Clerks answered phone lines Monday thru Friday 8am-5pm • Continued essential duties - processing mail, administrative reports, and case management of citations. • Court Staff continue to respond to email and e-fax requests to reset court dates and provide case information. 9 • Court staff reset cases set for dockets not held for the week of April 13th. Parks and Recreation (Gary Packan) • Department Administration o Director and Assistant Director continued to meet remotely with Executive Team, CMO, EOC, Budget, Leadership, and department staff throughout the week via Microsoft Teams and Zoom related to COVID-19 responses, as well routine operational activities. o Continued to meet daily at 8am with the Business Manager, Marketing staff and Parks Superintendent and reviewed ongoing needs related to COVID-19 and public outreach and communications. o Continued remote staff meetings to coordinate operations and logistics related COVID-19 impacts. o Continued work on budgetary adjustments to plan for the loss in operating revenue for the department and organization. • Department Refunds and Credits for Week of April 20-24 o Staff processed a total of 320 transactions related to program, event, membership, and season pass refunds and credits. ▪ $21,770.60 Refunded ▪ $18,197.83 Credited • Business and Administration o Staff helped process refunds related to COVID cancellations, reviewed disaster tracking forms, and respond to Engage Denton requests. • Marketing Administration o Staff created social media marketing and engagement content for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; and responded to daily COVID-related public inquiries. o Staff continued the Question of the Day Facebook video campaign to engage the community with staff in a month-log needs assessment series while at home. o Staff continued content development for the virtual recreation center and updated the SEO for the site to be shared via social media. o Staff met with recreation specialists to coordinate moving the annual Fourth of July event to be a full- blown virtual event including a virtual parade and fun run. o Staff promoted an opportunity to offer the community a free 60-day online fitness membership with Les Mills that was shared via social media. o Staff coordinated the opportunity to co-host the virtual Arts and Jazz Festival via Facebook Live and discussed opportunities for other cancelled events. • Leisure Services and Special Events o Staff hosted a Zoom Around the Room virtual scavenger hunt with kids from the after-school program on April 21-23. Between the three calls, 31 youth participated and made plans for a repeat event next month. o Senior Center staff hosted a Zoom call with the Senior Advisory Council and received input related to continued outreach. o Staff met remotely to consider plans for summer childcare operations. o Preschool staff hosted an Earth Day Zoom project playdate with students Police (Frank Dixon) • The Police Department continues outreach by participating in rolling parades throughout the community. • There has been an increase in calls for service as nice and warm weather begins. • Staff is conducting a food drive for our city and have challenged several other agencies to do the same in their respective community. 10 • Police personnel have “adopted” seniors from within our organization, externally, as well as local teachers. We understand that because these seniors will not have an actual graduation or prom, it is important to let them know how much they matter. • The department remains in contact with peer agencies to stay in front of the pandemic and the ancillary crimes associated with it as people have been isolated for some time from one another. • DPD continues to accept PPE by way of purchasing and donations. Procurement/Compliance (Cassey Ogden) • Staff continued to work remotely. • Distributed cloth masks for all City departments through Warehouse. • Participated in PPE Working Group meetings. • Created PPE Logistics Planning group to plan for City’s long-term PPE needs. • Worked with departments on PPE needs and distributing those materials. • Conducted daily meetings for Purchasing and Warehouse staff to discuss daily COVID procurement priorities. • Assisted Finance with on-going FEMA cost tracking and reporting, including purchases made via purchase order (PO) and p-cards. • Participated in weekly EOC activities. Public Affairs (Sarah Kuechler) • Serving as lead for all public information functions and serving as liaison with CMO and City Council. • Serving on EOC team and operations. Participating in various calls and daily briefings. • Regularly monitoring official announcements, press releases, and media coverage from federal, state, county, and local entities, school districts, universities, businesses, community organizations, nonprofits, etc. Coordinating with our partners. • Developed social media posts, resharing posts, and developed videos to share with the community. • Developed press releases, flyers, social media posts, and more to educate the community and businesses on Stay At Home Order and social distancing best practices. • Supported Economic Development and CMO with responding inquiries regarding COVID-19 guidance, guidelines and orders. • Supported Economic Development with daily reporting of local business impact survey responses; individual responses and summary data reports. • Coordinated with departments to ensure their information on the website is up-to-date, add details about service changes as needed. • Supported Community Development with managing and updating COVID-19 Community Resources page www.cityofdenton.com/coronavirusresources. • Deployment of “We Are” and “Denton Strong” video series that demonstrate the City and Denton community response to COVID-19 • Compiled information with Human Resources and drafted communication for Weekly Employee COVID-19 update in both digital and print; and assisted in other employee communications including state self-quarantine mandate for select states. • Coordinated with PMO on tracking and communication for active construction projects that are suspended due to COVID-19 response. • Deployed virtual platforms for public meetings, including the coordination public comments through an online form or telephone. • Evaluated state legislation and are prioritizing state laws to request, in coordination with our consultants and other cities, be suspended to enable a more effective COVID-19 response. • In partnership with United Way of Denton County, developed and launched an enhancement of the Information and Referrals program to connect individuals and small businesses impacted by COVID-19 to federal, state, and local resources 11 • Advocating for the anticipated 4th federal legislation addressing COVID-19 to include direct funding to local governments with no restriction on size (as in the CARES Act) • Deploying additional social distancing communication pieces for use by Denton businesses • Hosted Virtual Employee Forum attended by over 450 employees. Engaged in planning for a second forum and following up on employee questions and inquiries from the first. • Collaborated with Cross departmental team to evaluate a strategic approach to the communications of guidelines with regard to national and state “reopening” actions. Risk Management/Health (Cassey Ogden) • Staff continued to work remotely. • Continued tracking work related exposures of COVID-19 through the Risk Management Information System. Solid Waste (Brian Boerner) • Tonnage and customer activity at the landfill is returning to pre-pandemic levels. • 6 calls for commercial service reduction/elimination due to COVID business losses. Streets and Drainage (Ethan Cox) • Field staff is coming back to full work schedule: o Staggered start and dismissal times to reduce the amount of personnel in the building. o Temperature stations will be setup to monitor employees at the beginning of shift. o Crews will be issued mask to be worn when unable to maintain the proper social distance. • All personnel that can work remote will continue for the time being. • Construction projects will start to see some activity next week as we start work again. Sustainability / Recycling Public Outreach (Dr. Kenny Banks) • Staff participated in several webinars / trainings. • Staff filled volunteer shifts at Our Daily Bread • Completed Personal Protective Equipment and policies in anticipation of returning to work. • Coordinated schedule for additional donation of plants to Clear Creek. • Reviewed historical energy consumption for COD facilities in for Greenhouse Gas Inventory and State reporting requirements. • Met with Parks to discuss developing a comprehensive map of wildflower areas. • Completed Earth Month Educational Materials. • Met with connections at the State Energy Conservation Office and City Efficiency Leadership Council to collaborate on energy policy improvements that have worked well for them and what the challenges are to implementation. • Researched energy policies at other cities and reviewed the case studies for their related cost and environmental savings. • Continued to add residents to waiting list for energy and water auditing program. • Provided virtual Earth Day presentations to Denton Sustainable Schools partners. Technology Services (Melissa Kraft) Technology Services is working with all departments with ongoing technology needs. • Majority of staff are working remotely. Some field staff are working onsite on several service requests and projects. Rotating onsite staff on a weekly basis. • Assisted over 15 walk-ins, Serviced over 256 incidents and service requests. Received 128 calls through our TS helpdesk. • Assisted with set-up of online meetings with City Council and Employee forum. 12 • Begun initial work on updating the City’s FEMA Floodplain website on the Interactive Map Viewer Map Online Portal. • Performed several application software upgrades. • Performed quarterly scans. Public Safety Communications (911) • 911 calls on average during the period 4/20 to 4/26 - 1,101 total calls – 157 per day. • Admin calls on average during the period 4/20 to 4/26 – 1,970 total calls – 281 calls per day. • Calls for service entered into CAD system – 1,362 for Police Department, 264 for Fire Department. Utility Administration (Dr. Kenny Banks) • Purchase orders, contract administration, change orders, and invoice payments continue to be processed as normal. • Timekeeping specific to COVID-19 responses continues to be tracked and reported. • Staff continues to work on budget items, personal protective equipment and processes, training, and budget items. • Staff performed some research for the City Manager’s office regarding the Mayhill Road Project • Staff is preparing for Public Utility Board meetings to resume in May. • Employees continue to work at home, with occasional days in the office as needed to complete specific tasks. • Instructions on personal protective equipment were completed and supplies were obtained in anticipation of returning to the office soon. Utilities Strategic Operations (Dr. Kenny Banks) • Staff prepared Department-specific Personal Protective Equipment Policies this week in preparation for returning Operation, Maintenance and Construction staff/crews to near full capacity Monday April 27. All staff have either already been provided or will be provided with proper PPE on Monday upon arrival to work. • Staff held six (6) virtual open employee forums this week to field questions regarding the Voluntary Separation Plan, the City Manager’s Office Town Hall, Personal Protective equipment and requirements, and returning to work. • The Water and Wastewater Utilities Departments received 10,000 masks as a donation, all the cloth masks requested were received, and we are awaiting the receipt of thermometers and additional gloves. • All in-house construction by the Water Distribution and Wastewater Collections Departments continues to be suspended. • Tasks directly related to maintenance operations, regulatory operations, job site visits and walk throughs, water meter installations, line locating, valve operations, and emergency responses are continuing. Water Distribution and Wastewater Collections are continuing to deliver water to Green Tree Estates. Water and Wastewater Utilities (Frank Pugsley) • All departments continued to run modified schedules and shifts to minimize staff contact. Utilities continue to physically staff only for continuity of operations, required maintenance, and emergencies. • Staff prepared Department specific personal protective equipment. Policies this week in preparation for returning Operation, Maintenance and Construction staff/crews to near full capacity Monday April 27. All staff have either already been provided or will be provided with proper personal protective equipment on Monday upon arrival to work. • Staff held six (6) virtual open employee forums this week to field questions regarding the Voluntary Separation Plan, the City Manager’s Office Town Hall, Personal Protective Equipment and requirements, and returning to work. 13 • All other divisions continue to run some form of modified schedule and shifts to minimize staff contact. Utilities continue to physically staff for continuity of operations, required maintenance, and emergencies. The remainder of staff are on standby in case of emergency or if an on-shift employee becomes ill. Adjustments have also been made to accommodate higher risk staff members. All staff members continue to take actions to minimize likelihood of exposure, including personal protective equipment, disinfection of vehicles / equipment before and after use, and social distancing. • Staff continues to ensure all essential Water and Wastewater (Reclamation) operations are maintained with no noticeable service loss.