Team Carlsbad,
Thank you to all the staff who have already completed the Carlsbad Safe@Work survey with your vaccination status. As you know, we as public servants are held to a high standard, especially when it comes to how we are managing COVID-19.
One of the reasons we have been so successful in preventing COVID-19 spread in the workplace and our community is because we have planned ahead and erred on the side of caution when it comes to public health measures. Knowing that the state and federal governments have already instituted vaccine mandates, we need to know the status of our employees so we can be ready should that become required in our city.
This information will be used solely to ensure the city is able to plan ahead in case of a vaccine mandate affecting Carlsbad.
The information you share will be kept confidential under the provisions of federal law and only used for COVID-19 planning, prevention, response and compliance reasons.
The deadline is this Wednesday, Sept. 29, noon. It should take a minute or less.
Since my last update, we have had two new cases with one workplace exposure. As a reminder, you’ll be notified if this happens in your worksite and if you have been identified as a close contact so you can take the proper precautions.
City Council update
At tonight’s meeting, City Council will discuss whether we’ll continue virtual public meetings through October. A recent change in the state’s open meeting laws now allows virtual public meetings to continue under certain circumstances during the emergency declaration.
Okta dashboard refresh
Okta is the city’s secure online portal where you access city applications like your password manager, ServiceNow IT requests, SumTotal and OneDrive. Starting in October, your dashboard is going to get a makeover that will make it easier to navigate and search what you’re looking for. You’ll also be able to organize your apps so you can get to what you need quickly.
Here’s a screenshot of what your new dashboard will look like:
Open enrollment
Open enrollment, the time to select your 2022 insurance plans is now through Oct. 7. If you decide to keep your same health benefits or make changes, you must log into Lawson to confirm your selections no later than Oct. 7. Please do not wait until the last day.
If you have questions or need assistance with online enrollment, HR staff is available for virtual meetings by appointment only on select days. Learn more.
Smart water technology benefits our residents
Here’s a kudos for everyone at the Carlsbad Municipal Water District and those who worked on our advanced meter infrastructure. Over the years, we’ve been investing in smart water metering technology that tracks water usage in real time. CMWD saw some abnormalities in water usage for a certain customer and reached out to troubleshoot it. Turns out there was a leak and with CMWD’s great customer service and proactive monitoring, the resident was able to avoid a huge water bill.
Check out their thank you email! It’s great to hear when our residents see the direct value and care from their local government. (Have I mentioned that Carlsbad is the best local government around? That’s because of YOUR service!)
Here’s a video we did back in 2019 about our smart water metering so you can learn how it works and how it benefits our community. (Yes, I used to be clean shaven!)
That wraps up my long update this week. Thanks for your dedication watching and reading through these important weekly updates.
I appreciate you and your continued dedication to our mission of public service. Keep those kudos coming, and have a great week.