Page 15 - Scene Magazine 42-06 June 2017

Annual Report
BY JESSICA VANDERKOLK – City of Battle Creek Communications Mgr.
Here at our City of Battle Creek fa- cilities, we like to call ourselves Team Battle Creek.
Our team continues to work hard to provide the programs, services, and cus- tomer service that all our neighbors need and deserve.
These are some of the ways we’re do- ing that, through new projects, improved
City of Battle Creek
own employees, as well as our customers and neighbors.
Priority Based Budgeting is a pro- cess we started in 2015. It connects our budget to policy making and guides us toward achieving fiscal health and well- ness. We ask ourselves whether we are budgeting our resources toward the pro- grams that are the highest priorities to our staff and community.
our new police facility, a decision made after much community engagement, many tours (see the current station vir- tual tour on our YouTube channel), sur- veys, and needs assessments. The $15.5 million project will give our police staff the space they need to operate efficiently and effectively, and offer spaces for the community, including meeting rooms and space for outside agencies that work
closely with our police staff. At our Waste Water Treat- ment Plant, construction is in progress on a new secondary treatment process, which in- troduces air and chemicals to feed the “bugs” that help sep- arate the solid materials in the waste water stream. The new, energy-efficient air source and changes to the containment area will force these bugs to be more efficient, reducing chemi-
cal costs.
You can learn more about
these projects and connect
with us in many different ways online. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; subscribe to our You- Tube channel; join your neighborhood on Nextdoor; and download our mobile app on Android and iOS. These are plac- es where we share tons of information, photos, and videos, and have spaces to interact with all of you.
Plus, you’ll continue to find our bi-monthly newsletter in the water bills (June is out now) and get great infor- mation on our AccessVision program, Keeping You Informed.
Finally, we continue to seek Stories from the Neighborhood, our next cam- paign to share positive stories in Battle Creek. What’s your family’s favorite park? Do you enjoy visiting our historic locations? Does one of our bus routes get you to work every day? Did you move away and return? We want to hear your story, and see your photos and short vid- eos. We would love to share them on our social media!
We’ve got so much more to share with you – please connect with us!
You can email your stories and con- tact us anytime: PublicInput@battlec- reekmi.gov. We believe in Battle Creek!
communication, and a few fun show off the skills of our talent- ed team members.
One arena for that is this year’s second annual City Fair, set for 9am to 1pm on Wednes- day, July 12, at Festival Market Square downtown. Mingle with city staff, check out some of our vehicles, watch some fun demonstrations, gather lots of useful information, and grab lunch at the Farmers Market!
ways to
You can expect a demon-
stration from our Water Divi-
sion, current state champions
in the Hydrant Hysteria fire
hydrant assembly competition
at American Water Works Association conferences. Our team just attended the national conference and competition in Philadelphia, and we’ll have those re- sults soon!
Please also stop by our Department of Public Works, 150 S. Kendall St. As you read this, five fantastic snow plow blades should now be on display along the north driveway. To celebrate National Public Works Week in May, we worked with five of our local elementary schools – Ann J. Kellogg, Prairieview, River- side, Valley View, and Verona – provided them with plow blades and paint, and let them get creative! We are thrilled with this first-time project.
In our ongoing efforts to improve service to each other and our neighbors, in 2016 approximately 500 city employ- ees attended customer-centric training based on Disney principles. Together, we created a value statement and codes of conduct that we post at our work stations and have on wallet cards to help guide our work and interactions.
Using some new techniques and ideas, like storyboards to brainstorm, we are trying to better meet the needs of our
As a team, with input from the com- munity, we defined our “results,” why we’re in business, and scored our ser- vices to fit these definitions. Then we de- termined if we are budgeting for services with the highest priority. It’s a tool we are using now, as we finalize the upcom- ing budget, and one with more informa- tion that will be available to all this year, on our website, so please stay tuned.
More information also will be com- ing related to the city’s establishment of a dedicated team to focus on economic development services for commercial, retail, small business, and entrepreneurs. These are gaps we have found through work with the BC Vision initiative, while Battle Creek Unlimited continues to pro- vide these services for Fort Custer, the TIFA District, and large businesses.
Through community collaborations, we hope to achieve the greatest benefit for Battle Creek. No one agency can ac- complish this alone, and we are excited about the possibilities.
Two great construction projects are happening now at our Police Department and Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Construction began in mid-May on
CITY ISSUE I SCENE 4206 15