IaCMA conference

I'm proud to welcome city and county managers from around the state of Iowa to West Des Moines this week for the Iowa City/County Management Association (IaCMA) summer conference. The attendees will be staying in West Des Moines, and many have invited their families along to enjoy what West Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines area have to offer.

I was privileged to serve as president of IaCMA this past year, and I am thrilled that its members will be visiting our community. IaCMA conferences give city and county managers a chance to share their concerns, ideas, and thoughts on the profession, as well as sessions on topics like ethics, diversity, innovative programs in city government, and more things related to city management. Although we come from cities of different sizes with different challenges and blessings, we find a lot of common ground because there are many services all cities must provide and many goals we all want to meet.

I look forward to hosting this group and taking part in the educational activities the week has in store.

WDM Teen Police Academy

The first West Des Moines Teen Citizens' Police Academy was held in June, and received great reviews! The Academy is modeled after our existing Citizens' Police Academy, which has graduated seven classes so far. It was designed to provide young people in our community the opportunity to learn about the Police Department and its operations and have fun doing it. It provided some valuable information for students interested in law enforcement careers as well. Our Police Department especially saw it as a chance to open up another channel of communication with our young citizens.

The students, all between 13-17 years of age, were required to be enrolled and attending a school in West Des Moines or one of the three school districts in our city, or to live in West Des Moines. They needed at least a 2.0 grade point average and a background check. The class was just five sessions completed in the mornings for one week. Teens learned about patrol and vehicle stops, evidence collection, the K-9 unit, the taser and other defensive tactics, what it takes to become a police officer, firearms, and Emergency Response teams, among other things. Several police officers participated in the instruction, which ended with a pizza party and graduation ceremony.

We have some great young people in our community! These teens were respectful and very interested in the operations of the Police Department. They will be excellent resources and spokespeople among their younger crowds for the officers in our department.

More good news--we already have parents and teenagers asking to sign up for next year!

Smoke Free Air Act

As you've undoubtedly heard if you live in Iowa, the Smoke Free Air Act went into effect on July 1. The law's purpose “is to reduce the level of exposure by the general public and employees to environmental tobacco smoke in order to improve the public health of Iowans.”

This law prohibits smoking in public places, buildings, and “any outdoor area under the control of state government or its political subdivisions.” To be thorough, smoking is not allowed in outdoor sports arenas, stadiums, amphitheaters, designated seating areas of outdoor entertainment venues during public gatherings, outdoor seating or serving areas of restaurants, public transportation stations, platforms and shelters, school grounds, and the grounds of public buildings.

Although the Department of Public Health is still working out some details that will dictate enforcement of the Act, the City of West Des Moines is taking steps to work with employees and citizens affected by the new law. The City already had a tobacco-free policy for City facilities and city-owned vehicles, but will now, among other things, work to make the grounds adjacent to our public facilities smoke-free. That includes posting signs on buildings and in city vehicles.

Additional information about this new law, including FAQs, can be found at: http://www.iowasmokefreeair.gov/resource.aspx

The City is doing its part to help employees with their addiction to tobacco. We have an employee certified through the Iowa Lung Association to facilitate Smoking Cessation Courses. We are also offering assistance with physical addictions by adding Nicotine Replacement Therapy prescriptions into the prescription drug plan effective July 1. QUITLINE IOWA also offers phone counseling, free smoking cessation information, referrals and a two-week supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches or gum) at no cost for those who call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Over the last year, we've really tried to put an emphasis on health and wellness at the City. In addition to our fitness facility program, which requires employees to work out at least 12 times per month in order to participate, we've been running a Get Fit with WDM motivational program for employee teams who compete to lose weight and get in exercise time. These activities, in addition to wellness screenings and smoking cessation groups, should help to give us a healthier, happier, and more productive workforce and potentially reduce insurance costs. We have chosen to take a proactive approach to health and wellness, and have seen other cities and private companies take similar steps. Our Wellness Committee is very active and has played an important role taking us down this path, which is both good for employees and smart for employers.