What a year 2023 has been! The extraordinary nominations received for Team of the Year, Customer Service Leader of the Year, and Employee of the Year are not only impressive but also a resounding testament to the distinctive ethos that defines "the Cedar Hill way."
Lagoon Aquatics Team
Team of the Year
This summer, the hottest place to be in Cedar Hill was the Lagoon at Virginia Weaver Park and it would not have been possible without the incredible team of lifeguards, cashiers, maintenance workers, concessionaires, and managers that make up our aquatics team! In its first season, the Lagoon welcomed more than 27k visitors - more than six times the number of visitors than the old pool at Crawford Park, averaging 500 people per day. The team conducted 1,140 swim lessons, held special seniors-only swim hours for the 55+ crowd, and made 45 families feel special at parties and special events held at the facility. This aquatics team sold more than 1,500 memberships, combined for over 880 hours of training, and had six saves! We are so thankful for this team that helped us open one of the signature improvements to our city from the 2017 bond election. This team even beat forecasted revenue estimates by over $6,000, a true testament to their effectiveness. For these reasons and so many more, we are proud to honor the 2023 Aquatics Team, as Team of the Year!
Cindy Guzman, Code Support Specialist (Code Enforcement)
Customer Service Leader of the Year
Cindy displays customer service from the bottom of her heart every day because it is who she is. She keeps her cool, stays professional, kind, and is solution driven. Her positive nature and motivation are appreciated and allow her to easily implement changes where they are needed. Cindy is a natural leader because of her ability to collaborate with staff and citizens. In her work, she naturally faces challenges with staff and citizens, however, she knows how to channel her frustration to motivation, to provide consistent premier customer service! Cindy is everyone's go-to person! She consistently goes above and beyond her responsibilities of a code support specialist. For example, if she receives a code complaint and the code officer is out or unavailable, it is not uncommon for Cindy to go out and inspect a complaint herself, to ensure the timeliness of the inspection. Cindy is such a gem to work with, always positive and very helpful to all our Cedar Hill citizens. For these reasons and so many more, we are proud to honor Cindy as our 2023 Customer Service Leader of the Year!
Susan Shinn, Budget Analyst (Finance)
Employee of the Year
Susan is always a hard worker, but this year she has really stepped up to the plate for the City as she managed the budget process in the midst of significant turnover in the Finance Department. In addition to her normal tasks for the budget, Susan led the process from beginning to end. She kept the team on track and met every deadline we set, despite doing twice (or more) her normal workload. Susan not only got the work done, but she also made the process better and less stressful for everyone else involved. Almost every department budget team commented that first round budget meetings were streamlined and less intimidating this year. The budget process isn't always "fun", but Susan maintained her sense of humor throughout, and there wasn't a single budget meeting without jokes, laughter, and camaraderie. Susan was definitely the MVP of this process, which touches every single department and function of the City and allows us to serve the community in our everyday work. For these reasons, and many more, we are proud to honor Susan Shinn as our 2023 Employee of the Year.