While Suzy is out ........

Greetings, everybody:

As you all know, Suzy will be going out on maternity leave soon. In her absence, the following Team Leaders will be in charge of her locations:

· Edward – JOH, YOU

· Mary – SMI, MNT

· Shammi – MAN

· Mike – HEI

Thanks,

Shammi

Shammi is out of the office

I will be out of the office and returning back on 9/13/10. In my absence following team leaders will be available for assistance with any question -

Edward Melton – Friday 9/3 from 1-6 pm
Mary Wagoner – September 7th & 8th
Suzy Benton - September 9th & 10th

Have a good holiday.

Thanks,

Shammi

Payroll has Moved

The Payroll Team is now permanently located on the 3rd floor of 611 Walker! For now, the business practices have not changed; timesheets will be emailed each week and should be returned via delivery as normal. Staff may continue to contact payroll via email or by calling their new phone extensions below with any pay and/or leave concerns.

Gloria Edmond 832-393-8856
Udelia Vega 832-393-8853
Christi Weems 832-393-8867 (713-837-0138 fax)

Thanks,

Shammi

On behalf of MVC,

Greetings,

I will be on vacation and out of the office from Monday, August 16 until Monday, August 23; I will return on the morning of August 24; The following team leaders will be in charge of Neighborhood Libraries and the library locations that report directly to me:

August 16-17: Edward Melton (Office: 832.393.1442 / Cell: 281.217.7990)

August 18-20: Shammi Gill (Office: 832.393.1511 / Cell: 713.447.0914)

August 23: Edward Melton (Office: 832.393.1442 / Cell: 281.217.7990)

Thank you,

Mike Van Campen

How to file a claim with the City for damages or personal injury

Filing a Claim



Article IX, Section 11, City Charter, City of Houston,
Notice of Claim for Damages states:

Before the City of Houston shall be liable for damages for personal injuries of any kind, or for injuries to or destruction of property of any kind, the person injured, or the owner of the property injured or destroyed, or some one in his behalf, shall give the mayor and city council notice in writing of such injury or destruction, duly verified, within 90 days after the same has been sustained, stating in such written notice when, where and how the injury or destruction occurred, and the apparent extent thereof, the amount of damage sustained, the amount for which claimant will settle, the actual residence of the claimant by street and number at the date the claim is presented, and the actual residence of such claimant for six months immediately preceding the occurrence of such injuries or destruction, and the names and addresses of the witnesses upon whom he relies to establish his claim, and a failure to so notify the mayor and city council within the time and manner specified herein shall exonerate, excuse and exempt the city from any liability whatsoever, provided that nothing herein shall be construed to effect or repeal section 12 of Article IX of this Charter. (Act of 1905, as amended October 15, 1913).

Procedures to follow when filing a claim:

Provide the information required in Article IX, Section 11, Notice of Claim for Damages, referenced above, in writing and sign the letter before a Notary Public; and

Mail letter, with the following attachments

· Three property damage estimates,

· Photographs of damage, if any,

· Accident report, if available,

· Photocopy of Certificate of Title of damaged vehicle,

· Photocopy of medical bills, if any, and

· Doctor’s narrative, to:

City Secretary’s Office
City of Houston
P.O. Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251-1562

with a copy provided to:

City Attorney’s Office
Attn.: Claims/Subrogation Division
P.O. Box 368
Houston, TX 77001-0368

FAX: 832.393.6259

Phones: 832.393.6393 or 832.393.6392

Cell Phone Usage - Reminder of Noise Policy/Rule

Greetings,

I just wanted to send a quick reminder for everyone to share with staff. While we do not have a policy that forbids cell phone use, there is a policy that forbids "any loud, unreasonable, or disruptive noises". This specifically includes "those from electronic and communication devices"-whether it be a ring-tone or a conversation held on a cell phone. I have heard from a few customers that staff have told them that we have to allow all cell phone usage no matter if it is loud and disruptive. This is definitely not the case.

Using the policy above, if there is any excessive noise--be it from a cell phone, a face-to-face conversation, or anything else--based on a staff member's judgment and/or a customer complaint, staff and/or security need to enforce the rule by asking the customer making the loud noise to lower their volume. In the case of cell phones, it is perfectly reasonable to ask someone to turn down or silence a ring-tone and lower the volume of their conversation. If the customer persists in speaking too loudly, staff should ask them to continue their call outside or in a more appropriate spot in the building. They can and should use this rule as backup for this.

Moving forward, this is a topic that will be discussed and reexamined in Policy and Procedure meetings to see if the rule needs to be reconsidered or adjusted. However, in the interim, it is important that staff know the existing rule and use it to address excessively loud disturbances in our libraries.

Please let me know if you have any questions on this issues or suggestions on this perennially popular topic.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Book Sale

Greetings,

I have received a few questions about booksale. For the time being, please continue to hold off on spending. We are waiting for further information to see what level of funs are available. In addition, we are working on new procedures for spending funds. Our hope is that this will all be resolved shortly and we will be able to give you the green light to use booksale funds.

Thanks,
Mike VC