THE VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
We just passed the summer equinox (longest day of light) for the year. This is significant to this weeks “Voice” in that I wanted to describe the position at Wayne Township with the longest duties list. I used to have a position like this, everything that didn’t fall under a logical department, ended up my responsibility. In my prior position, if it didn’t get done, everyone would have known. I worked my heart out and often stayed late to get everything accomplished. But since I had as many duties as today is long, none were a major project. Time and again, individuals in positions like my prior one seem to go unnoticed. Well, I do notice! That is why this week’s Voice of the Township is about the Operations Administrations Department at Wayne Township.
The Operations Administrator serves in many ways as does the Communications Specialist for the Township.
As the webmaster he has creative control of my internet communication with the general public. If you visit the Wayne Township Website at www.waynetownship.org, I believe that you will view not only the best township website in the state, but one that fares very well in comparison with most government offices and those who utilize a professional service. I can wager that ours is updated far more often too!
This supervisor is also the publisher of the majority of Wayne Township’s important documents. These would include: brochures, the Township Standards, the personnel policy, all in-house forms, job descriptions, special meeting programs, group letters, and many other documents that if listed, would put me over length for the column. This is very important in keeping our budget printing costs at amazingly low levels.
One thing that always troubled me about ordering off-site printing of publications was that in order to receive a decent quote, you had to order in quantities. If and when a change(s) occurred, the publications were obsolete and the money spent on the quantity ordered is down the drain. I’m proud to share that our printing equipment has paid for itself many times over. Our brochures are printed in-house in quantities of fifty and I would be surprised if you could ever find an outdated one. The professionalism of these documents is outstanding.
The Operations Administrator, with the retirement of Wilford Allen, has picked up the duties of Community Liaison. He coordinates with groups requesting a public appearance by Trustee, other staff presenters and himself, to make sure we know the when, where, and what to bring in the way of township materials. He coordinates appearances to our staff by outside presenters so that the Wayne Township staff is always well informed about all new programs, agencies and dollars to help those in need. With the operations leadership in this area, I truly believe that the Wayne Township staff educates more agencies and groups and is in turn educated by the same, more than any other government office with similar duties. They always say that “knowledge is power” and it is our goal to empower those in need with all of the knowledge that the community has to offer.
Another duty of the Community Liaison is to network with outside agencies, churches, and other government offices to ensure that we always have the latest information on programs, qualifications, important dates and monies to help those in need. Even though about three fourths of the applicants requesting assistance at Wayne Township receive help, there remains the one fourth who does not. With Community Partnerships and information on hand, he oversees and works with the Community Resource Specialist so that we have an alternative for those that are not eligible, but still in need. If you were someone that has never needed help and suddenly found yourself in need, would you know where to go if you were ineligible for Township Assistance? We understand this dilemma and work hard to serve you by helping you know how to fill those needs before you leave our office.
The Operations Administrator, as an Honorably Discharged Veteran, is also our Veterans Affairs Coordinator. He and I both attended the County Veteran Service Officer Training Course so that we could show our appreciation by understanding all there was to help our veterans. He helps veterans to coordinate services with the Allen County Veteran Service Officer, the Veterans Administration Northern Indiana Health Care System, and all other veteran services in our area. Through his efforts to get veterans in touch with federal monies designed to help them, it has saved you many local tax dollars.
There are so many other duties that he tackles and somehow manages to complete. As I think about all of them and what I have already listed in this column, I now know why he is our youngest supervisor. You would need to be in order to have the energy to get all of this done!
So for all of you out there that work your heart out, and don’t get the appreciation that you deserve, this one’s for you! We couldn’t do it without you, and I salute you.
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