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1. Who should I contact if I want to sell my products and/or services to the County?

Please contact the Purchasing Division. The Purchasing Division assists all suppliers in registering with the County and ensuring requirements are met to be a County supplier.

2. Are purchase orders required for all purchases?

All purchases over $5,000 require a purchase order and all purchase of controlled commodities including technology and furniture require purchase orders.

3. Does the County give preference points to local firms?

The County does require most service providers and many product distributors to be located within the County or close to the County to ensure fast and flexible service and locally stocked supplies when needed. The County does not have a preference point system.

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1. What happens after I submit the Claim for Damages?

You will receive a letter acknowledging receipt of your claim. The claim is assigned to the appropriate handler who will investigate the circumstances to determine if the county will accept or deny the claim.

2. If I have damage to my vehicle or property, do I need to submit more than one repair estimate?

Typically, two repair estimates should be submitted. If you have already paid for repairs, please submit the bill and paid receipt.

3. How long does it take to settle a claim?

It varies depending upon the amount of investigation required. You may request a status from the risk management claims adjuster at 123-456-7890 at any time.

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1. What is a developmental disability?

Developmental disabilities affect between 1 and 2% of the population in most western countries. Developmental disability means a disability that is manifested before the person reaches 22 years of age and includes a diverse group of chronic conditions that are due to mental and/or physical impairments. Developmental disabilities can be detected early on, and do persist throughout an individual's lifespan. They may be physical, such as blindness. They may affect mental ability, such as learning disorders. Or the disability can be both physical and mental, such as Down syndrome. Additional terminology you might hear: intellectual, cognitive, and developmentally delayed.

2. What is supported employment?

The Supported Employment Program provides paid, competitive employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities in integrated work settings with appropriate ongoing support from a job coach. The program offers a creative and cost-effective approach to meeting business needs and including people with developmental disabilities in the workforce. Each job is customized by bundling entry-level tasks that match the skills of the supported employment candidates.

Departments at the County will use the job title Supported Employment-Office Assistant I, which is designated for employees within the County Supported Employment Program. This title intentionally has no job description associated with it in order to allow for maximum customization of each position.

Supported Employment candidates are part of the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), as defined in RCW 71A.10.020(0). Their participation in DDA is verified through the County Human Resources and the Human Services Department.

A requirement of the Supported Employment Program is that each supported employee and hiring department work with a job coach. These professionally-trained vocational counselors are sent from local agencies in order to serve the employment-support needs of persons with developmental disabilities. Each job coach assists with the individualized training and long-term supports (at no cost to employers) which allows supported employees to maximize their job performance.

3. What is a job coach?

A job coach is a professionally trained vocational counselor who is skilled in on-the-job training for people with developmental disabilities as well as workplace support strategies. The job coach is at no cost to employer and is available to provide:

• Assistance with initial and ongoing training of the supported employee


• One-on-one and group training for supervisors and coworkers about workplace support strategies for the supported employee


• Creative self-management tools for the supported employee to increase efficiency


• Problem-solving and support to workplace and supported employee as needed

The job coach will continue with regularly-scheduled visits with the department and your supported employee to assure that everyone is pleased with the situation. The goal is to have the job coach fade when the supported employee has learned the position and found natural supports from other coworkers.

The job coach remains a resource to you and your employee for the length of your supported employee's employment. This means that if tasks ever change or new coworkers or supervisors need training or if something arises, then the job coach is your resource.

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1. Do dispatchers have to attend an academy similar to officers?

Yes, Police Dispatchers must attend a Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) approved 120-hour Dispatch Academy and receive a minimum of 24 hours of POST approved training every two years.

2. Do police officers handle barking dog complaints?

Civic Place Animal Control Officers handle barking dog complaints. You may contact them at 123-456-7890. If it is occurring outside their normal business hours please leave them a message. They will follow up during regular business hours.

3. What do I do if I loaned my vehicle to someone and they will not return it?

If you have loaned your vehicle to another person to drive and this person does not return the vehicle, certain documentation is required to report the car stolen. Since the vehicle is being operated with permission of the owner, this permission needs to be rescinded. Send a letter to the person via Registered Mail-Return Receipt. The language of the letter should include:

"Your permission to operate this vehicle is rescinded. You are to stop operating the vehicle immediately. Park the vehicle legally and notify me of the location, so I may recover it. If you fail to comply with these instructions, I will report the vehicle as stolen." (Including language that instructs the borrower to return the vehicle implies further permission to operate the vehicle.) The letter should also include a description of the vehicle including the year, make, model, color, license plate number and VIN.

Keep a copy of the letter and post office documents needed to send it. After the letter has been mailed, you will either receive proof of delivery or the letter will be returned by the post office as unclaimed.

If you are not successful in getting your vehicle back, call the CPPD at 123-456-7890 or come to the CPPD to report the vehicle as stolen. You will be required to appear in person and sign the theft report since this is a borrowed vehicle case and supporting documents are necessary to be given to the officer. You must also be willing to press charges and testify in court against the person to whom you loaned the vehicle.

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1. How do you initiate the construction of public sewers?

Requests for public sewers are typically initiated by a property owner or owners from a neighborhood with concerns about the working order of their septic systems. This typically occurs when septic systems are showing signs of failing (surfacing sewage) or are not working properly.

Failing septic systems can cause health hazards, not only to the property owner but also to the entire neighborhood. Requests for public sewers are referred to the city council as required by the city charter.

2. How is my monthly sewer bill calculated?

There is both a customer charge and a volume charge for your monthly sewer bill. The monthly sewer bill for residential service is calculated by adding the customer charge to your monthly volume charge per 100 cubic feet (CCF) which is based upon your average water usage during the months of January, February, and March.

For example, the average monthly residential water usage (volume) is 6 CCF. The monthly sewer bill calculation from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 is a $17.21 customer charge plus the volume charge ($1.68 volume charge per CCF times 6 CCF), totaling $27.29 per month.

This monthly sewer use charge is collected to fund the maintenance and operation costs of the system.

Please call 123-456-7890 if you have any questions concerning your monthly sewer bill.

3. What are the advantages of public sewers?

Public sewers are recommended and often required by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Kansas Department of Natural Resources for the collection and transport of wastewater to a permitted treatment facility. This is especially important for urban density developments because public sewers greatly reduce the potential for health hazards and contamination of our ground water supply.

Septic systems, at best, are temporary substitutes for public sewers. The geology is generally considered unacceptable for individual treatment systems. Because of our karst topography, septic systems can and do fail often without our knowledge.

Unfortunately, our karst topography also can often provide a direct connection from septic system leach fields to our ground water. To minimize this impact to our ground water, both the City of Civic and Civic County have adopted regulations that require a minimum size tract of 3 acres for individual treatment systems.

4. Who do I call for to report freeway off-ramp cleanup?

Please Contact the County Highway Dept on their website or call 1-800-555-5555

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1. How are speed limits determined?

City ordinance sets the basic speed limit in Springfield at 30 miles per hour (mph). Motorists are to assume the speed limit is 30 mph unless there are signs posting a different speed limit. Speed limits greater than 30 mph can be set on the major streets by the City Traffic Engineer based on engineering studies that include the following factors:

• Crash experience
• Functional classification of the streets
• Prevailing speed of motorists as determined in a speed study
• Roadway characteristics including alignment, surface, grade, sight distance, and design speed
• Roadway development including type of land use, driveway spacing, and parking practice

2. When should a traffic signal be installed?

Traffic signals should only be installed when they are warranted as determined by an engineering study. A warranted traffic signal that is properly located and operated may provide for more orderly movement of traffic, and may reduce the occurrence of certain types of crashes. On the other hand, an unwarranted traffic signal can result in increased delay, congestion, and crashes. Installations are based on engineering studies that consider the following:

• crash history


• excessive side street volumes


• flow of traffic along major street


• pedestrian delays and/or pedestrian safety


• side street delays


• form traffic flow

3. What is traffic engineering?

Traffic engineering is the field of engineering which deals with the planning, design, construction, and operation of roads, streets, and highways, their networks, terminals, access to abutting lands and relationships with other modes of transportation for the achievement of safe, efficient, and convenient movement of persons and goods. Traffic engineering applies engineering principles to existing transportation facilities to help solve transportation problems, and takes in account the knowledge of psychology and habits of users of the transportation systems.