Kent County Communicator

Last week, the Board of Commissioners selected Al Vanderberg as its choice for Kent County Administrator/Controller. Pending contract approval by the Board in late July, Vanderberg, who currently serves as Ottawa County Administrator, is expected to step into the position in August.

As you know, current Administrator/Controller, Wayman Britt, notified the board of his intention to retire last October after than 17 years with the County. Read more here.

Beginning Wednesday, June 30, Information Technology will be using the RingCentral phone solution rather than our current phone system. If you currently 4-digit dial Information Technology (with exception of those numbers at the Sheriff's complex, Health or DPW IT), you will need to access an outside line (by hitting 9) and dial the full number.

Over the months ahead, additional departments will be transitioned that will impact your intra-County dialing.  Intra-County dialing information as well as the status of each department’s transition to RingCentral can be located on our RingCentral project site via the Kent County Employee Hub.

June is pride month! For the month of June, we highlighted the leaders who have fought for the equality of the LGBTQIA+ community and the historic moments leading to LGBTQIA+ rights on our social media platforms.

If you have not already downloaded the Kent County Sheriff's app, consider doing so in order to receive important community notifications. Aside from the ability to access several public safety-related tools, you can customize your notifications! Click here to download in the Apple Store. Click here to download for Android.

The COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program helps keep Michigan residents who fell behind on their rent and/or utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualifying individuals or families can apply for help at www.kentrenthelp.org. In-person assistance with applications is available at the Kent County Community Action offices and by phone is 877-ERA-KENT. Please forward this important information to your family, friends, and community network.

One of our core values is to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion and one way our employees will see this demonstrated is through the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Cohort’s new workshop, Managing Bias. Some of you may remember taking Introducing Cultural Intelligence as part of Orientation Part 2. Managing Bias is the next step in the County’s journey to becoming a more Culturally Intelligent organization.

In our new Managing Bias workshop, participants will revisit their Cultural Intelligence (CQ) report and draw upon the research-based findings to take a closer look at bias and how to best manage it. Participants will improve their self-awareness and develop the first steps for relating and working with others. All sessions are from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 2021 sessions listed below:

Register on the LMS here. You will be required to log in with a Username and Password.

Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s essential for your mental and physical wellbeing. When you take care of yourself, you build your resilience. Meditation can be used as an exercise for the brain that everyone can do to improve their mental and emotional health.

A new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pulse newsletter was recently issued by our Inclusion Office. This will be one of many ways that we will engage and inform the community on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion matters. Check out the latest newsletter here.

Our COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan has been updated. To review the plan, click here. As a reminder, all employees are responsible to read the plan and comply with its provisions.