5.1. SR 05-09-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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^ ~~ Gtv o3 Elk -~.--~ River MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Lori Johnson, City Administrator DATE: May 9, 201 I SUBJECT: Volunteer Utilization and Recognition Item # 5_1. The Mayor requested that a community volunteer of the month award program be established to recognize the many volunteers who give their time and resources freely to benefit the community. Attached is a draft recognition program for Council consideration. Under the proposed program, volunteers would be nominated and a committee formed by the Mayor would select the volunteer to be named Community Volunteer of the Month. Applications for the award would be available on the city's website, through various volunteer organizations, and at other locations throughout the city. The Volunteer of the Month would be recognized at a Council meeting and would receive a certificate or other similar token of appreciation as determined by the Council. If the Council approves this program, it could be implemented immediately. Further, staff was asked to identify possible tasks and projects that could be filled by volunteers. Attached is a list of tasks department heads and division managers identified as suitable for volunteers. As you can see, some of these are already being filled by volunteers. The 2010 Annual Report recognizes the volunteers and provides information on the number of hours contributed. Last year thousands of hours were volunteered to various city departments. Additionally, staff recently met with Charlotte Strei, Retired Senior Volunteer Program Coordinator to get advice on implementing a more robust volunteer program. Ms. Strei is a volunteer trainer with a wealth of information on engaging volunteers. She provided recommendations on risk management, ongoing management of volunteers including standards and processes, as well as insight on the availability of volunteers. We are prepared to put together a volunteer program to fill the volunteer opportunities that have been identified. However, first a job description for each volunteer position and a volunteer handbook need to be developed. Finally, the Council is asked to provide input on the Community Volunteer of the Month program. Upon Council approval of the program, staff will begin promoting it with the intent of recognizing the first volunteer in June. Staff will also begin drafting volunteer job descriptions and the volunteer handbook so we can begin expanding our use of volunteers.