Town Hall Recap

Last week, the County Manager hosted an Employee Town Hall to celebrate recent successes and share information regarding the budget and other county efforts. While there have been smaller agency-wide town halls, this was the first of hopefully many all-employee events this year, and employees should expect to see County leadership everywhere!

Sheila Minor, The Director of Finance, opened by highlighting County successes by recognizing employees in the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and Public Works (DPW) for their hard work and diligence in handling the recent water crisis and snow events. She also celebrated two of the three approved Housing Affordability Trust projects and the fact that several General Government and Schools employees are new homeowners thanks to the Employee Home Purchase Assistance Program!
The County Manager then took the stage to reiterate how the values of the County align with the proposed budget, which includes a 6% raise for employees and tax cuts for residents. He credited the Police Division for continued low crime rates despite 80 position vacancies. He also touted that Henrico is in the 99th percentile in the nation for our healthcare benefits regarding the richness of plans and cost to the employee!

Finally, Chief of Staff Cari Tretina opened the floor to questions and comments. There were questions about healthcare/ Employee Benefits and market adjustments, as well as questions regarding preventative care. Director of Human Resources Yvette Geroge highlighted the Perks at Work program, which features discounts for gyms, health programs, and many other things. She also emphasized Employee Health Services, Fitness and Wellness classes, yoga classes, and our first-place worldwide title in a recent rowing competition. Yvette wrapped up by encouraging employees to use their healthcare benefits in a preventative way and by utilizing the employee resources website for additional information on benefits available to employees. For details on all healthcare-related benefits, please visit the Benefits section of the employee website.

As Cari received even more questions about wellness programs, she took the time to discuss the additional paid leave options and the importance of utilizing leave to stay mentally and physically healthy. Cari also answered questions related to electric vehicle chargers and the ability of internal hires to negotiate their salaries.

In his closing remarks, the County Manager thanked everyone for listening and reiterated the importance and purpose of town hall meetings. “This is what makes us, I think, as an organization, really good, because we listen. And this is a place where you should never be afraid to speak.”
You can watch the entire Town Hall on the County Intranet site. If you have any questions about the Town Hall Meeting or for County Leadership, please email Cari Tretina at [email protected].