Careers

Nov. 17 Hot Topics


Please Note: This is a copy of an internal PUD newsletter. We provide it here to keep you updated on information going to employees. We have removed links from the original newsletter because the linked content cannot be accessed from the Internet.

To: Commissioners, all PUD employees
From: Communications Department
Subject: Hot topics for discussion the week of  Nov. 16- 20, 2009

(This advisory is sent to encourage districtwide discussion and awareness of key PUD issues. The intent is to give managers, supervisors and employees suggestions on topics they might discuss during departmental meetings. Contact Kimberlee Craig, Ext. 4320, or Christy Shearer, Ext. 4258, if you have questions.)

On the District Calendar

On the air
Susan Gillin, Customer Service administrator, will discuss new PUD conservation programs developed to meet state mandates at 8:40 a.m. Tuesday on KOZI Radio (93.5 FM).

Commission meeting news
At Monday’s meeting:

Watch this
If you missed Manager’s Forum last Friday, you can watch General Manager Rich Riazzi talk about the 2010 budget and how hydropower fits into the national energy debate; Gregg Carrington describe the studies on potential water storage projects; and Bill Christman and Michelle Smith recap the successful Chelan River Project.

Remember – Rocky Reach is on “Dirty Jobs” Tuesday night
Set your DVR to record “Dirty Jobs” at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Nov. 17 on the Discovery Channel.  That’s when the one-hour episode filmed at Rocky Reach last April will air. 

If you miss it, bring your lunch and watch it at noon on Nov. 18 in the Headquarters Auditorium or at noon on Nov. 23 in the Rocky Reach Visitor Center theater. 

Want a preview? Click here and here to see video clips of the episode.

Still time to take the Office Services survey
Take a survey to tell them how well they’re serving you.  Please respond by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Learn the latest on prevailing wage requirements 
PUD employees Erik Wahlquist, Marilee White and Patty Etzkorn are offering training on prevailing wage and changes in contracting for labor valued at less than $25,000 using the Small Works Roster. Sessions are set for Nov. 18 and Dec. 4. Sign-up through PeopleSoft for “Prevailing Wage Changes,” course number PCS001.

Schedules are changing for Thanksgiving week
The day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, will bring several schedule changes. The Chelan and Leavenworth offices will be closed to the public. The main office in Wenatchee will be open, but Customer Accounting will be closed and no payments will be taken at the counter. The Service Building will also be closed to the public. Also, there will be no contractor badging or resets on Nov. 27.

There will be no Office Max deliveries that day, no delivery by Brett and Sons between PUD offices and only air or international delivery from UPS. Gerald’s Café will close at noon on Nov. 25 and reopen on Monday, Nov. 30. 
  
More year-end deadlines approaching
In addition to purchasing deadlines, there are also year-end deadlines for travel, expense reports and furlough. Check here for what you need to know on that front. 

To help ease the Jan. 4 transition to a new version of Maximo, year-end purchasing deadlines are a bit earlier.  The list of deadlines is posted on Procurement and Contract Services’ internal Web page.  First up is the cut-off for 2009 purchase requisitions on Dec. 15.

Check in with Diversified
The Diversified Investment Advisor education specialist will be at the PUD through Nov. 19.  To schedule a half-hour appointment, call Human Resources at ext. 4793.

United Way campaign wraps up
The 2010 United Way pledge campaign at Chelan County PUD ends on Friday. Co-leaders Irene Godfrey and Kris Pomianek report 80 employees have made pledges totaling $30,072. In addition, Puget Sound Energy will make a matching pledge of $5,000. There are 10 employees pledging for the first time, which means General Manager Rich Riazzi will be making an extra pledge of $100 ($10 per person). There’s still time to pledge. Send forms to Irene, ext. 4866, by Friday. United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties helps local agencies meet the needs of people in our community. Thanks to everyone who donated.

Get to know the new Maximo
The District will change to the new version of Maximo - v7 – on Jan. 4. All employees who use Maximo or will be using it need to attend training classes. Sign up in PeopleSoft with course numbers from the calendar on the Maximo Training Intranet site. “Navigation Training” is a pre-requisite for any additional training for purchasing, work orders, etc. Click here to learn how to view available classes by subject. Have questions? Contact Maryann Wood, ext. 4004.

PureSafety training this month
Required training for 2009 must be completed by Nov. 30, 2009. Click here for a reminder on how to log in.

Another way to save for retirement
Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30 each year, an employee with more than 80 hours of accrued personal leave may transfer the cash equivalent of that excess PL (your balance may not go below 80 hours) to the District’s 457 plan.  Please see Administrative Policy 109 and CBA 5.1.9.

PL transferred to the 457 plan is not eligible for 401(a) matching contributions and is subject to the IRS annual limits of $16,500 for under 50 years of age and $22,000 for those 50 and older.  The contribution will appear on the Dec. 11 paycheck and will be in addition to and processed separately from regular 457 contributions. Use this spreadsheet and your current pay stub to help calculate deferrals. Find the form in the HR forms library.

Send forms to HR for processing by 5 p.m. on Nov. 30. Contact Beverly Freeman, benefits manager, with questions, ext. 4448, or check the benefits page on PUDToday.