Summer Schooling 2016, Part 3: The Marana Family

The day to day happenings of life can sometimes be a little overwhelming.  Has anybody else felt like an extra set of hands, for even just an hour or two, would allow you to get that one last chore done, or give you that moment needed to run that last errand on your list? In my household, I sometimes wish for something like that, and I know my wife does too.  Between finishing up grad school, maintaining a full time job and raising a family, I have had to prioritize certain items over others just to accomplish tasks that are due.  Usually my wife will shoulder the burden of those items that just keep getting rolled over and if she can’t someone else in the family will help out until we get it all done.  The support structure that surrounds me is fantastic and they have and always will help out until the job is done. 

The past couple of weeks I have been rotating through the departments of the Town that remind me of my support structure.  I have been with the Town Clerk’s office, as well as the Legal, Human Resources, Technology Services and Finance departments.  The people that work here are the helping hands, the family that allows the Town to operate at the highest of levels and accomplish all the goals the Town has set. 

The Clerk’s office is a fantastic group that is responsible for maintaining the history of the Town.  Did you know the Town is required, by law, to keep important documents for hundreds of years and in some cases forever?  They ensure all of our millions of documents and plans are properly stored, catalogued and available with just a moment’s notice.   It is a monumental task that is performed flawlessly.

Tech services have been broken into two divisions.  One side is responsible for maintaining hundreds of computers, miles and miles of cable, multiple server rooms, the radio system for our police department, and more.  This is all accomplished by a team of 5 people working out of the main municipal complex but facilitating half a dozen different locations.  The rest of tech services ensure all of our programs are running bug free, new programs are evaluated and modified to our needs, and new apps are created.  I am sure I am missing something in there, but this group talks in a talk I struggle to keep up with.

Finance is responsible for our $47 million budget; they manage all of our assets, cover pay roll and benefits for three hundred plus employees, issue business licenses, and more. 

Legal has two sides to its department as well.  One side prosecutes crimes and the other makes sure the business of the Town is on the up and up. 

HR recruits only the best and the brightest to work for the Town. 

These departments are so important to the day to day operations of the Town.  I have spent a day with each of them and only just scratched the surface of what they do and their capabilities.  Each department has about ten people, and in many cases less than that, and they ensure we do not have to prioritize tasks.  They are the support structure, the vital components of the Town.  They are the family that is always there making sure we are successful.