Employee Excellence

April 2023 Everyday Excellence: Special Victims Section

(Police)

During the Wednesday, April 26 Board of Supervisors meeting Chesterfield County Administrator Dr. Joe Casey recognized several members of the Chesterfield Police Department’s Special Victims Section as the recipients of the April 2023 Everyday Excellence Award for all they do to combat human trafficking and protect the residents of the county.

Col. Jeffrey Katz, Chief of Police, introduced several members of the team to the Board of Supervisors. Due to the nature of their work, the names and identities of those team members are being withheld to protect their anonymity.

“It is my distinct privilege and honor to come before you today to recognize some members of our Special Victims Section of the Police Department,” he said, highlighting the work that the personnel within that division do to preserve life and to protect the vulnerable.

The enforcement team runs operations throughout the county in partnership with state and federal agencies in order to curtail human trafficking.

“We talk about the preservation of human life: The lifespan of a trafficked victim is about seven years,” Katz told members of the board. “So you talk about preserving life, that’s certainly what [the team members are] doing. When you’re talking about protecting the vulnerable, you often have people who have substance-abused disorders, they’re being strung out, they’re being pimped, and they’re engaging in sexual activity with people against their will or consent.”

The detectives involved in the Special Victims Section have worked tirelessly to not only find offenders but to set up ways in which the perpetrators of these heinous crimes can be brought to justice.

“This group of individuals […] conduct a variety of stings throughout the year,” Katz explained. “Many of them are internet-based things and they do an exceptional job of identifying people who would prey on the vulnerable and exploit people during their worst times.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the work that they do,” he added. “I don’t want to get into any operational specifics but suffice to say that between this entire group they have I’m sure saved dozens and dozens of lives. For that, I am deeply grateful.”

In thanking them for their service, Chair Kevin Carroll (Matoaca District) said that many people don’t realize the weight of what working these crimes and trying to catch these criminals can have on the detectives involved.

“It really takes a special individual, even in law enforcement, to do what they do,” he said, adding that it’s the role of the board and the county to make sure they have the resources they need to do the work they do.

“Keep up the great work,” Carroll added, “and know that there are people in our community who do pray for you every day and there are people who absolutely appreciate what you do.”

March 2023 Everyday Excellence: Accounts Payable

(Accounting)

During the Wednesday, March 8 Board of Supervisors meeting Chesterfield Deputy County Administrator Matt Harris recognized members of Accounting, specifically Accounts Payable, as the recipients of the March 2023 Everyday Excellence Award for all of the work they do for the county.

Assistant Director of Accounting Kevin Payne introduced members of the Accounts Payable team to the Board of Supervisors including Jessica Tankersley, Diane Lanier and Drecilla Smith.

The Accounts Payable team is responsible for processing all vendor payments for the county and Chesterfield County Public Schools. Typically, Accounts Payable is not revenue producing but with a pair of programs, the E-payables Program and the Purchasing Card Program, they’ve recently been able to do just that.

The E-payables Program is a virtual card payment option offered to vendors who wish to enroll. Last year, the program produced just over $320,000 in revenue by allowing the county to receive a rebate from its banking services provider based on total program spending. In 2022, with the hard work of the staff, specifically program administrator Jessica Tankersley, the county began a new enrollment campaign and was able to enroll 172 additional vendors. That brought the total number up to 622, a 38% increase.

Since it’s inception in 2011, the E-payables Program has brought in approximately $3 million in revenue with the 2022 rebate being the largest the county has received. Not only does the county receive revenue and have reduced costs normally associated with check printing and postage, but enrolled vendors are able to receive their payments quicker and are able to process these electronic payments more efficiently.

The Purchasing Card Program, meanwhile, offers a physical credit card to selected employees which allows them to make eligible small-dollar purchases. These cards have pre-determined monthly and transactional limits set by department directors. Not only does this make the procurement process more efficient for users but the county is also able to consolidate these purchases into one monthly payment to our card provider. Like the E-payables Program, the county receives a rebate based on the total amount spent and saves on printing and postage. The rebate for 2022 was just over $88,000, which was also the largest since the inception of this program.

Led by program administrators Diane Lanier and Drecilla Smith, the county has received $586,000 in revenue from its Purchasing Card Program since 2011.

For more information, view the Everyday Excellence presentation during the March 8, 2023 Board of Supervisors meeting.

_{Members of the Accounting Department, and specifically the Accounts Payable team, were recognized at the March 8 Board of Supervisors meeting.}

February 2023 Everyday Excellence: Trades Crew and the District 5 Maintenance Crew

(Parks and Recreation)

During the Wednesday, Feb. 22 Board of Supervisors meeting Chesterfield County Administrator Dr. Joe Casey recognized members of two crews from Parks and Recreation as the recipient of the February 2023 Everyday Excellence Award for all the work they do on the county’s trails.

Parks and Recreation Director Neil Luther introduced the members of both the Trades Crew and the District 5 Maintenance Crew, thanking them for their service to Chesterfield.

“They are the core group,” Luther said of the Trades Crew trio of TJ Poore (Principal Labor Crew Chief), Dewey Osborne (Principal Maintenance Worker) and Brandon Ellis (Principal Labor Crew Chief). “We have 44 miles of trail and it seems like we’re adding a little bit all of the time.”

The Trades Crew serves all maintenance districts and is responsible for Chesterfield’s trails as well as the mechanical shop that services all of the equipment. Over Christmas, they were responsible for installing the 800-foot top portion of a new trail near Cosby High School and the culvert pipe for drainage at the site.

In also introducing them to the board, Luther explained that the Trades Crew is aided greatly by the District 5 Maintenance Crew which consists of Jeff Rogers (Park District Manager) and Keith Wells (Principal Labor Crew Chief).

The District 5 Maintenance Crew maintains an array of parks, schools and other county sites. They were responsible for limbing, bush-hogging and cutting back the treeline and underbrush at Cosby to widen and prep the area for the new trail. They also handled all coordination with the contractor on the hill section of the project.

“I’d like to thank them very much,” Luther said of the crews. “They make my job so incredibly easy. They’re always willing to step in and do whatever is necessary [...] Being able to get out and walk with family and friends is just an incredible resource for everyone in this community and I’d like to thank this team and a lot of other folks who chip in on a regular basis to make that possible.”

“Y’all did a great job up at the high school with the walkway that you put in,” Board Chair Kevin Carroll (Matoaca) said. “You can tell by the amount of cars parking on Village Square Parkway now that it’s being highly used [...] It was very appreciated by the community and I appreciate your hard work.”

“It makes a huge difference for the citizens, and it makes a huge difference for me,” said Supervisor Jim Holland (Dale). “I walk them too. Thank you for being here today, thank you for your service to all of the citizens of Chesterfield County, and thank you for the difference you make in the lives of so many.”

For more information, view the Everyday Excellence presentation during the Feb. 22, 2023 Board of Supervisors meeting.

_{Members of the Trades Crew and District 5 Maintenance Crew from Parks and Recreation were recognized at the Feb. 22 Board of Supervisors meeting.}

January 2023 Everyday Excellence: Dave Sirois

(Utilities)

During the Wednesday, Jan. 25 Board of Supervisors meeting Chesterfield County Administrator Dr. Joe Casey recognized Utilities employee Dave Sirois as the recipient of the January 2023 Everyday Excellence Award for going above and beyond to help a Brandermill boy retrieve a prized possession.

Sirois, a 26-year veteran of Chesterfield County Utilities, currently serves as the plant manager at the Addison-Evans Water Treatment Facility. But it wasn’t just his experience and expertise that proved so valuable last year when this event occurred. It was also his action and excellent customer service that shined through.

On Monday, Nov. 14, the Kuntz family was at Sunday Park when Jackson’s soccer ball was blown down a hill and into the Swift Creek Reservoir. Thanks to the wind, the ball continued toward the water treatment facility where his father Darrell assumed it had finally come to rest. He reached out to the Department of Utilities via email in hopes of obtaining a “brief visitor privilege” to go in and see if he could find the ball.

But that wasn’t necessary: Sirois had it covered.

The next morning around 9:30 a.m., Sirois responded to Kuntz, conveying that he had received the email, was able to locate the ball and had scooped it up using a pool skimmer. About an hour later, Kuntz came to the facility to retrieve the ball so that he could return it to Jackson.

Kuntz wrote a letter, which was read to the Board of Supervisors by Utilities Director George Hayes, in which Kuntz thanked Sirois for his efforts in getting the ball back to his son.

“In my experience of dealing with local government entities and utilities other than Chesterfield County in the past, I have never received such care and attention as I did on this occasion,” Kuntz wrote in the letter. “I think Mr. Sirois deserves individual recognition for setting the standard for this type of public service that should be routinely practiced by all public servants.

“I believe this is the type of leadership that has the effect of creating a culture of service within a group of employees,” he added. “Small actions can have significant impacts, especially when it comes to building institutional trust among the public.”

“Dave, I want to publicly thank you for everything you do for our customers and the Department of Utilities,” Hayes said. “Dave is truly the definition of a public servant and he presents a culture at the plant that we would all like to embody. He inspires us to be better public servants.”

For more information, view the Everyday Excellence presentation during the Jan. 25, 2023 Board of Supervisors meeting.

_{Jackson Kuntz, shown with his prized soccer ball.}

Employee Excellence Archives

View previous Employee Excellence articles:

• 2022 Employee Excellence Archive
• 2021 Employee Excellence Archive
• 2020 Employee Excellence Archive