Changes to Employee Paychecks Due to American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

If you noticed a little extra money in your paycheck today that’s due to legislation passed by Congress called the “American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.”

For 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides a refundable tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and $800 for married taxpayers filing joint returns.

This tax credit will be calculated at a rate of 6.2 percent of earned income and will phase out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $75,000, or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.

For people who receive a paycheck and are subject to withholding, the credit will typically be handled by employers, such as the City of Waco, through automated withholding changes.

These changes may result in an increase in take-home pay. The amount of the credit must be reported on the employee’s 2009 income tax return filed in 2010. Taxpayers who do not have taxes withheld by an employer during the year can also claim the credit on their 2009 tax return.

It is not necessary to submit a Form W-4 to get the automatic withholding change. However, an employee with multiple jobs or married couples whose combined incomes place them in a higher tax bracket may elect to submit a revised W-4 to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for his or her combined income.

For additional help, get IRS Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding? or visit the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov and use the “Withholding Calculator.”

Employee Race for the Cure Team

All City of Waco employees, their families and their friends are invited to join the City of Waco’s team for this year’s Komen Race for the Cure. This year’s race will be held Saturday, April 18 at Indian Spring Park.

Team members can choose to participate in the one mile or 5K run/walk, support their team members the day of the race, and/or make a donation to the cause. The Komen Race for the Cure© raises significant funds and awareness for the fight to end breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivors, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

Up to 75 percent of the net Race income stays in our community to fund breast health education, breast cancer screening and treatment projects.

To register, go to www.komencentraltexas.org and join the City of Waco team. For more information, contact our Team Captain Crystal Smedley at 750-5481 or CrystalS@ci.waco.tx.us.

New Employee Orientation
March 2009

Front Row: Julie Bell, Police Department; Poorna Kadiresan, Information Technology; and Susan Blackwood, Texas Ranger Museum.

Second Row: Amy Knox, Library Services; Jeremy Rhodes, Cameron Park Zoo; and Michael Palmer, Water Utility Services.

Third Row: Martin Thompson, Parks and Recreation; and Kris Headrick, Solid Waste Services.

Zoo Adventure Camp

Have you ever wanted to meet a Burmese python, African hedgehog, or an eclectus parrot?

While attending zoo camp, the students are able to see all of these animals and more. During the camps the students are able to get up close and personal with many of our education animals and some of the African animals like to get a closer look at the students!

Students who attend zoo camp get to play games, make crafts, and go behind the scenes of Cameron Park Zoo. We have three different curriculums for our week-long camps.

ZSI—Zoo Science Investigations (June 8-12 & July 20-24) students will use their investigative skills to learn about animals.

Super Critters (June 15-19 & July 27-31) focuses on extraordinary animals and their super abilities.

Amazon Adventures (July 6-10 & August 3-7) allows students to explore how animals are able to live in different areas of the world.

We also offer camps for younger and older students. Zoo Tales is for students 3-5 years of age (June 29-July 1) and Down & Dirty—Keeper Shadowing is for students 12 years and older (July 13-17).

If your child loves animals and being outside then zoo camp is for them! Our information is online at www.cameronparkzoo.com or call us at 750-8467.

Outdoor Family Workshop

The City of Waco and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will host a weekend of camping and outdoor family activities on May 30-31 in Cameron Park.

There will be a fee per family that will include equipment, camp rental, and instructor fees. The registration deadline is May 15. For more information and to register, call 750-5980.

Summer Camps

Registration is under way for the City of Waco Parks and Recreation Department’s summer camps and athletic programs.

South Waco, Bledsoe-Miller and Dewey recreation centers will offer Summer Day Camps from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays for ages 5 to 13.

Children will participate in indoor and outdoor activities, arts and crafts, games, field trips and more. The registration fee per child is $50 and the camp cost is $160 per session. For information, contact the recreation centers at South Waco 750-8650, Bledsoe-Miller 750-8684 and Dewey 750-8677.

Camp Cameron is an outdoor adventure summer camp beginning June 8. The camp is for ages 5 to 13 and will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. The registration fee is $50 per camper and $140 per two week session. Camp Cameron offers campers a mix of environmental and recreational activities such as hiking, archery, kayaking, swimming and nature studies. To register, call 750-5980.

National Start! Walking Day

Wear Sneakers to Work! Take a stand against heart disease by participating in “National Start! Walking Day” on Wednesday, April 8.

Celebrate by donning your sneakers to work and walking 30 minutes on this special day. It’s a great way to promote healthy living and build coworker relationships!

City Staff Spotlight

Street Services selected Roberto Gonzalez as their employee of the month for February.

Randy Childers, Director of Inspections & Code Enforcement, received the Building Official of the Year award from the Building Officials Association of Texas. He was honored during the mid-year meeting on Feb. 26 in San Marcos. He has served as the Building Official for Waco since August of 2006.

City Manager Larry Groth is being recognized with the 2009 ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers)Texas Section - Government Civil Engineer Award. He will receive the honor on April 3 at South Padre Island.

Troy Shaw and Dori Helm, both of Municipal Information, won Addy Awards on Feb. 28. The competition is sponsored by the Waco chapter of the American Advertising Federation. Troy won a Silver Addy in the category of TV Self Promotion for the Waco City Cable Channel. Dori won a Silver Addy for her work with the water quality report, and a Gold Addy for a radio commercial on water conservation.

To view previous issues
of City Talk, click here:

• March 5, 2009
• February 5, 2009
• January 8, 2009
• December 11, 2008
• November 13, 2008
• October 2, 2008
• September 4, 2008
• August 7, 2008
• July 10, 2008
• June 12, 2008

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