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City of Covington Weekly Report Week Ending February 7, 2021

On this week's cover are COV team members Christian Favors (911), Officer Quin Pitts (CPD) and John King (Transportation Manager) as they prepare for cleaning up the community.

ICE SKATING @ LEGION FIELD IS ONLY OPEN UNTIL FEBRUARY 21, 2021!

GROUNDHOG DAY

Members of the COV team had their photo taken with Boomer the groundhog on February 2, Groundhog Day, on the square.

Councilwoman Fleeta Baggett
Transportation Manager John King

EMPLOYEE COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP

Employees came together on Saturday, February 6 to clean up around town. Thanks to Christian Favors (911) for the great pix!

Members of the COV team that helped clean up on February 6 that are pictured include (top left) Pop Woods, Tyler Marshall, Brady Smith, Scott Lucas (top right) and (bottom) Christian Favors, Louis Robinson, Eddie Winder, Ricky Thomas and Cathy Henderson.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Joe Mobley, Evidence Technician (Covington Police Department)

  1. Where were you born? Atlanta, GA
  2. What was your first car? Ford pickup
  3. Last job before you worked at the city? Self-employed
  4. How long have you worked for the city? 25 years total
  5. What is your favorite part about working with the city? Being a part of a professional team
  6. What is your favorite book and/or movie? I like any movie that's funny and prefer books about history
  7. Where is your ideal vacation spot? Any beach
  8. What is your favorite food? ALL OF IT!
  9. Name one thing you are proud of in your life. How about 3? My daughters...I am so blessed.
  10. If you could have dinner with a celebrity, dead or alive, who would it be? The singer Selena because I had the chance to once and I didn't and then she was killed.
  11. What is your hidden talent? Fluent in a second language
  • Attended the city council meeting on Feburary 1, 2021 via teleconference
  • Attended administrative staff meeting
  • Met with community development for strategic planning
  • Met with ECG on upcoming projects
  • Met with Public Works and Planning & Development on sewer capacity
  • Scheduled the next WE LEAD event
  • Met with a potential partner for a communications opportunity
  • Met with Town Center developer
  • Met with community members on quality of life concerns
  • Met with IT and Telecommunications about staff planning
  • Met with departments on budget request for FY 2021-2022
  • Covington Town Center meeting
  • Cornish Creek WTP-generator and primary controls meeting
  • Electrical system study update meeting
  • Attended February 1, 2021 Council meeting by teleconference
  • Prepared February 1, 2021 meeting summary and minutes
  • Attended February 2, 2021 post council recap meeting
  • Fielded 39 phone calls

Pictured: City Clerk Audra Gutierrez's furry family member Phoebe sleeps through the February 1 City Council meeting.

GREAT JOB!

Tiffany Cook completed the Public Safety Critical Incident Seminar (PCIS). The PCIS provides education on trauma, patterns of resolution and field-tested coping strategies to promote recovery and resilience. Peer support is an important element of the PCIS. Discussion of incidents with fellow public safety who have "been there" promotes normalization and recovery. This format originated with the FBI in 1983 and Georgia DPS has been hosting the PCIS in Georgia since January 2013.

Total Cad Calls Received: 1,705

Total Agency Calls Generated: 1,922

Total Law Calls Generated: 1,479 (76.95%)

  • Covington Police Department: 395 (20.55%)
  • Covington Marshal's Office: 1 (0.05%)
  • Newton County Animal Control: 2 (0.10%)
  • Newton County Sheriff's Office: 989 (51.46%)
  • Oxford Police Department: 29 (1.51%)
  • Porterdale Police Department: 63 (3.28%)

Fire Calls Generated: 169 (8.79%)

  • Covington Fire Department: 32 (1.66%)
  • Newton County Fire: 137 (7.13%)

EMS Calls Generated: 274 (14.26%)

OPERATIONS

Major Incident Statistics and Breakdowns

C SHIFT

C Shift images from the week including promotional process preparation (bottom left) and "truck day" (bottom right)
  • COVID-19 mitigation efforts
  • Tuesday was “truck day”
  • Completed Lexipol Tier 3 review
  • Worked on HR self-evaluations
  • Promotional process prep
  • EMS Certification/GA LMS training
  • Webb attended the virtual GAEMS conference
  • CPR was performed using our LUCUS for more than 1-hour through treatment at Piedmont Newton
  • Training hours: 110.25

B SHIFT

B Shift on house fire (top six images); at vehicle accident (bottom two left images); and completed installation of the AIRVAC system.
  • Completed station day
  • Worked on EMT recertification class
  • Worked on FY 2021-2022 budgets
  • Completed installation of AIRVAC system
  • Fuqua out on worker's comp Injury
  • Training hours: 109.05

A SHIFT

  • Lexipol review
  • EMS recertification
  • Individual paramedic and EMT A classes
  • Normal station duties
  • Exhaust system was replaced
  • Continued painting and repair of walls
  • Training hours: 39:55

ACCREDITATION

  • Compiled and submitted info for weekly report
  • Approved purchase orders and invoices in BS&A
  • February service anniversary/birthday recognitions memo
  • Processed September, October, November and December 2020 tech rescue times
  • Processed January-December 2020 hazmat times
  • Assisted Fire Chief with questions regarding high school cadet program for GMA interview
  • Began working on Annual Compliance Report for CPSE

NEW FIRE ENGINE

Check out the progress on the construction of the CFD's newest engine!

New fire engine under construction

PATROL

  1. On February 1, CPD officers responded to a domestic incident on Hill Street where a female was assaulted by a male. Warrants were subsequently taken for the male.
  2. On February 1, CPD officers responded to a train versus truck accident on Harland Drive. The truck failed to yield while crossing the railroad tracks and was struck by the train, but no serious injuries were reported. The scene was worked by Georgia State Patrol and the CSX police. A BIG thanks to Mike Murphy (Water/Sewer Department) for bringing out and securing barricades at the scene so that officers could go back in service and answer other calls.
  3. On February 3, CPD officers responded to Walmart in reference to a fraud. A female stated she was contacted by a male who identified himself as Michael White with Light Stream, a division of SunTrust Bank. White stated he needed her bank account information for money to be placed in her account. The female received a deposit of approximately $1,100.00 and Mr. White then instructed her to buy Walmart gift cards. She contacted her bank immediately to notify them of the possible fraudulent deposit. She made them aware that the account number and routing number had been given to someone she believed was conducting fraudulent activity.
  4. On February 4, CPD officers responded to the Shell gas station on Alcovy Road in reference to a possible robbery in progress. Officers were told that a black male with a blue jacket and blue jeans entered the store with a gun. On scene, officers encountered the suspect who had a video controller in his pants and the handle hanging out to simulate a gun. While speaking with the store clerk, it became clear to the officers that it was an argument and not a robbery. Video footage and witness statement revealed that the suspect did not motion to the “gun” or threaten the store clerk. He was criminally trespassed from all Shell locations at the owner’s request.
  5. On February 7, CPD officers responded to a battery at the Travel Lodge. A female was hit in the face by her boyfriend. A warrant for battery was taken on the male.

CID

CID Sgt. Allan Seebaran examined Person Crimes and Property Crimes that CID detectives worked from February 1, 2021 to February 7, 2021 and compared them with the previous two years. The following results were found:

PERSON CRIMES: From February 1, 2019 to February 7, 2019, there were nine reported person crimes; for the same time period in 2020, there were six reported person crimes; and during 2021, from February 1 to February 7, there were seven reported person crimes. The below are statistics for the date range of February 1 to February 7:

  • There was an 33% decrease (from nine to six) in reported person crimes between 2019 and 2020.
  • There was a 16% increase (from six to seven) in reported person crimes between 2020 and 2021.
  • There was a 22% decrease (from nine to seven) in reported person crimes between 2019 and 2021.

PROPERTY CRIMES: From February 1, 2019 to February 7, 2019, there were 25 reported property crimes; for the same time period in 2020, there were 29 reported property crimes; and during 2021, from February 1 to February 7, there were 20 reported property crimes. The below are statistics for the date range of February 1 to February 7:

  • There was a 16% increase (from 25 to 29) in reported property crimes between 2019 and 2020.
  • There was a 31% decrease (from 29 to 20) in reported property crimes between 2020 and 2021.
  • There was a 20% increase (from 25 to 20) in reported property crimes between 2019 and 2021.

SUPPORT SERVICES

  • The Covington Police Department hired Dustin Johnson from McDonough, GA to fill one of the ten available police officer positions. Johnson is POST certified and brings ten years of law enforcement experience to the CPD.
  • The Covington Police Department interviewed two new applicants for police officers.

Congratulations to Sgt. Vic Partee for receiving a departmental commendation for his Community Outreach project "Operation Candy Cane."

Congratulations to Karen Richter for Employee of the Quarter, Support Services.

Congratulations to Joe Mobley for Employee of the Quarter in Criminal Investigations.

Congratulations to Officer Brandon Wilkerson, Employee of the Quarter for Patrol.

Officer Wilkerson was unable to attend the presentation
The City of Covington has partnered with ClearGov, a transparency platform, to launch an infographic-based fiscal dashboard. The new tool is optimized for complete accessibility, as defined by the ADA and provides taxpayers an easy-to-understand, visual breakdown of the city's finances, as well as insights into the demographics and more. Click on the link below to view the City of Covington's ClearGov page.

https://www.cleargov.com/georgia/newton/city/covington

ACCOUNTING

  • Staff entered 86 invoices for payment to vendors
  • The city issued 89 checks for 106 invoices
  • Accounting department entered 61 journal entries to record transactions of the city
  • Staff sent 14 invoices to customers for miscellaneous transactions

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Total Transactions by Customer Service Representatives: 2,157

UTILITY BILLING/METER READING

  • 3,822 bills processed
  • Billing cycles 1, 2, 10 and finals
  • 271 work orders completed
  • Six meter/ert change outs
  • 50 Tantalus meters changed
  • Routes read: cycles 3, 4
  • Meter readings read: 8,183
  • No disconnects
  • No reconnects

PURCHASING

  • Total purchase orders issued – current month - 85
  • Total purchase orders issued – current budget year - 2,241

Current and Upcoming RFP's/Bids

  • Vegetative / Building Removal: Out for bid
  • Janitorial Services: Out for bid
  • Conyers Street Gym Development: Out for bid
  • Tourism and Hospitality Board Membership Coordination: Out for bid
  • Electric Right-of-Way Clearing: Out for bid

Other: Ten vehicles sent to auction on govdeals.com

MUNICIPAL COURT

  1. There were virtual court sessions held
  2. 22 new citations were processed and filed in the court
  3. No tickets were disposed of
  4. A total of $14,707.00 in fines and fees were collected from mail, web, probation and in-person counter payments
  5. There were nine open record requests/certified disposition requests.
  6. A total of 513 separate case files for the week were scanned into Courtware Software
  7. The office received 330 emails and responded to internal and external customers accordingly
  8. 206 calls made and received to/from telephone customers
  9. Mailed out 80+ packets with solicitor’s recommendation for entering a plea
  10. We continue to discuss with the Judge and solicitor regarding next month’s in person court proceedings and office operations.
  • Nine poles pulled
  • Three single phase poles changed
  • 11 LED lights installed
  • Ten light orders completed
  • Six permanent power orders
  • Nine trouble/outage calls
  • Two broken light pole replaced
  • Disconnected lights for filming
  • One underground service installed
  • 11 right of way orders completed
  • Ten dead trees removed from right of way
  • One drop service for maintenance
  • Temporary power order completed

Pictured: Noah Thomas works from the bucket

Cameron Rusk and Noah Thomas work out of the bucket changing poles.

Natural Gas Department Director Mike Jewell shared photos of the beautiful mountain views from his cabin while on vacation for his anniversary.

  • 11 orders to change out water meters
  • Two orders to repair water meter leaks
  • One order to locate and mark water meter
  • Four orders to check water meters
  • Two orders to turn off water
  • Two orders to work on fire hydrants
  • One order to replace fire hydrant

Pictured: Zach McKibben and Dustin Nichols repair a fire hydrant

  • One order to fix water leak
  • One order to check for water leak
  • One order to put new seat on fire hydrant
  • One order to use boom truck to take meter vault lid off
  • One order to put road close signs at old transfer station
  • One order to shut off valve drain
  • Two orders to check on sewer backup

Pictured: Mike Murphy’s crew replace a fire hydrant hit by a vehicle

Staff from the Planning and Development/Engineering Department including Tres Thomas, Lee Harvey and Michael Willis, along with representatives from Thomas and Hutton, attend a Zoom meeting to discuss design needs for the Glover Street Drainage Project.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Budget Meetings for FY 2021-22

Leadership Meeting – Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Retirement Review Committee Meeting – Tuesday, February 9, 2021

LAST WEEK'S TASKS & EVENTS

  • Conducted Interviews: Tree Trimmer position
  • Met with employees that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (FMLA paperwork)
  • Mediated personnel issues
  • Brainstorming ideas with City Manager & Asst. City Manager about rising COVID-19 cases
  • Job offers & on-boarding of new employees
  • Posting of vacant positions
  • Mailed 120 certified letters to previous employees that are vested for retirement benefits
  • Updated the foster and foster portal with marriage licenses we have on file
  • Talked to two employees about their pending retirement and started their retirement paperwork
  • Had conference call with TASC (HRA) providers and figured out amount needed to fund this account for this budget year
  • Identified employees who will be acknowledged for this year's employee appreciation and figured the amount needed for this years budget

ONGOING EVENTS

  • Providing quality customer care to our employees & retirees
  • Assisted the Accreditation Team with compiling required data
  • Prepared submission for the Weekly Report
  • Administrating retirement services for retiree benefits
  • Scanning of HR files
  • Monitoring the coronavirus pandemic and listening to professionals about proper return to work protocols
  • Handling FMLA, Worker’s Compensation & COVID-19 claims
  • Scheduling & conducting interviews for vacant position and compiling appropriate documents
  • Auditing all employee benefits: invoicing accuracy, vendor satisfaction, etc.
  • Posting new positions as vacancies arise
  • Prepared job offers for new hires and promoted employees
  • Reviewing NovaTime for timekeeping abnormalities
  • Job description(s) review for open positions

CURRENT JOB POSTINGS

  • Tree Trimmer
  • Land Application Operator
  • Meter Reader
  • Communication Tech (911 Operator)
  • Police Officer
  • Inspector – Water & Sewer Construction
  • Electric Lineman
Additional concrete was poured to fix the sidewalk at the front of the Welcome Center
  • Interviewed firms for the Central Park Master Plan
  • Met with ECG for economic development planning
  • Met with Newton County IDA to discuss film study
  • Reviewed applications for ICMA fellows
  • Met with Sweet Magnolias location team to discuss film plans
  • January numbers submitted to state – down 16% for a total of 2647 guests, representing 28 states
  • Met with Optimist Club to bring group from national meeting to Covington in late spring
  • Photo shoot/interview with Newton Magazine, focus on In the Heat of the Night filming in Covington
  • Met with local General Lee car owner to look at possible meet & greet/car photo op in May
  • Discussion with local GeoCache rep to look at potential Covington scavenger hunt in spring or fall
  • Continue assessing brochure inventory / mid-level museum options
  • Filmed and edited proclamation with the Mayor recognizing NCSS 150th anniversary
  • Compiled weekly report for week ending January 31, 2021, the Valentine's edition
  • Updated social media and website
  • Met with ECG to continue creation of Economic Development strategic plan
  • Finished RFP for Janitorial services
  • Met for pre bid with vendors for same service .
  • installed new bike rack at welcome center.
  • Poured additional concrete side walks for visitors at welcome center.
  • Installed mailbox for welcome center.
  • Reopened Central Park after pouring new steps and sidewalks
A bike rack was installed at the area next to the hammock park at the Welcome Center.

The below are the statistics from the February 12, 2021 phone call with the Gwinnett Newton Rockdale Health Department.

GEORGIA COVID-19 STATS

  • Total Number of Cases Documented: 955,685
  • Total Number of Deaths due to COVID-19 in Georgia: 13,672

NEWTON COUNTY STATS

  • Total Number of Documented Cases: 8,815
  • Total Number of Deaths: 159

VACCINATION INFO

First and second dose appointments previously scheduled for Newton County Health Center or Rockdale Career Academy are now served at Springfield Baptist Church located at 1877 Iris Drive SE, Conyers, GA 30013.

Appointments can be scheduled online at this link: https://www.gnrhealth.com/covid-vaccine-scheduling/

Walmart and Sam’s Club are also administering vaccines at certain locations:

https://corporate.walmart.com/media-library/document/covid-19-vaccine-locations-walmart-and-sams-clubs-georgia-2-9-21/_proxyDocument?id=00000177-87d4-d0dc-af7f-ffff3a830000

Pictured: The Love Lock Bridge at Legion Field

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