5/28 Weekly Email + Heat Stress

Hi all, 

This is a short week so I only have a copy of last week’s Meeting Minutes, information on Mill Avenue closures, and some information on heat stress and upcoming CPR classes. 

MOU Ratification: I have opened a voting form for the MOU ratification vote. This form will be open for members to vote on the MOU between now and Thursday, May 28th, at midnight. 

If you would like to review the summary of our new MOU, you can check out last week’s email here. 

Membership Meeting Minutes: I have attached a copy of the meeting minutes from last week’s member meeting at the JGM Water Plant. 

Mill Avenue Closures: Tempe employees should be aware that chunks of Mill Avenue will be closed for construction from late May to early July. You can see a complete list at this link, with photos of each section and the impacted intersections. 

Phase 1: North of University Drive to south of Fifth Street, May 26 – June 7  

Phase 2: Intersection of Mill Avenue and Fifth Street to south of Third Street, June 8 – 21 

Phase 3: Third Street and Mill Avenue intersection to south of Rio Salado Parkway, June 22 – July 8 

Heat Stress: We are now in summer and members should be mindful of the heat we’ve been experiencing. I don’t think anyone in Arizona takes summer lightly, but I think it’s easy to forget some important tips when you experience the same thing year-after-year. 

For daily work, Tempe has a set of policies that govern employee’s interactions with the outdoors - if you’d like the full Tempe Heat Stress policy, you can find it here. If you’d like a brief summary of heat stress symptoms, you can find it here. If you’d like to see the Red Cross’ guide to managing heat, you can review it here. 

For personal heat stress, this article discusses the location of multiple municipal splash pads around the Phoenix area - if you need a free place to take children to cool down, they may be a good option. I couldn’t find a map of all public pools in the greater Phoenix area, but did find this one for Phoenix specifically. Season pool passes for a family of 4 are $75, and additional family members can be added for only $7 more. You can also get passes just for an adult or a child at slightly cheaper rates. As a reminder, popular culture does a very bad job depicting what drowning looks like - this site has a guide that explains what you should be looking for as a parent or chaperone if your child is in the water. 

Please also don’t forget the importance of heat relief if your AC/Swamp Cooler goes out or isn’t functioning as intended. Maricopa County has a map of cooling centers around Phoenix - if you, friends, or family need relief from the heat, please take advantage of these spaces. 

I’m also aware that it can be very expensive to keep your home cool in summer and have a few suggestions about reducing that cost. This article discusses some tips for sealing up your home and/or increasing airflow, while these SRP and APS sites offer quick energy audits of your home and recommendations for possible improvements. Window films, thick curtains on south and west-facing windows, improved sealing, and increased roof insulation can all make a huge difference in the amount of energy your home needs to stay cool. SRP offers discounts on energy audits done by licensed professionals as well, and both companies offer discounts or rebates for certain energy-efficient home upgrades. Finally, Arizona also offers tax credits to people who purchase efficiency upgrades (smart thermostats, insulation upgrades, double-pane windows, etc). 

CPR Classes: Suddenly concerned about drowning or heat stress? Want to develop some skills to help prevent those in your life from experiencing either of those things? Tempe is providing comprehensive CPR and First Aid courses on June 15th, September 14th, and December 7th at the Tempe Municipal Operations Center. These courses are designed both for people who need a CPR/First Aid refresher and for those who have no background or knowledge of those skills - they are hands-on and designed specifically to prepare people for real-world scenarios where your knowledge might be the difference between life and death.

You can sign up on Neogov by clicking this link. If the classes are on a day you normally work, you may need to get supervisory permission - please let UAEA know if you run into any issues with that. 

Next Membership Meeting: Our next membership meeting will be on June 18th, from 5:30-6:30AM at the Kyrene Water Plant Main Building (311 W Guadalupe), in the first floor conference room. The plant can be accessed off of Guadaulpe through the main gate, then members can enter the SE door of the building on the SE side of the property. You can rsvp at this link until Thursday, June 11th. 

Employee of the Quarter Reminders:  Nominations for the Employee of the Quarter (Q3 2026) will be accepted until Monday, June 1st, 2026 (finalists will be announced in our July newsletter). If you would like to be considered (or would like to nominate a peer), please fill out the application (it takes 5 minutes) before the end of day on June 1st. If you would like a refresher on program rules, check out this blog post. One thing that’s important to the Executive Team is making sure we recognize employees from as many departments as possible - we have still not seen a lot of applicants from Water, Strategic Management, Financial Services, the Park Ranger team, the non-sworn side of PD, Sustainability, and a few other areas. While it’s not the only consideration, you have a better chance of recognition if your nomination is for someone in an area we haven’t acknowledged yet.

Member Highlights: UAEA would like to highlight more of our members in future newsletters and are looking to find a few people we can interview about their daily work and time with Tempe. We’d like to show off the variety of jobs that are done around Tempe, as well as inform Tempe about the skills needed to be successful in different areas. If you’d like to be highlighted in a future edition of our newsletter, please reach out to president@uaeatempe.com.

HSA/FSA Deadlines: Just as a reminder, employees have until June 30th, 2026 to use funds from their FSA and HSA accounts. You can carry up to $680 from one plan year to another, but you will lose any additional funds in your account above that amount. 

Community Resources: UAEA is aware of rising fuel prices and how this is impacting members. We are having some internal city discussions about possible workplace changes, but also wanted to post some resources for members who may be struggling to make ends meet. This is a similar list to what we posted in November with a few new additions. Please feel to reach out if you have additional recommendations about local resources. 

AZ Food Bank Network: This link contains information about dozens of food banks and assistance sites across Arizona. You can search by the directory and the zipcodes they provide services for to find food banks in your areas. 

AZ Medical and Nutrition Assistance: This is an Arizona-State run program that can help connect people with Arizona State programs that provide assistance for people who need medical coverage, WIC support, or additional access to nutrition. I do not know all that the program entails. 

Maricopa County Utility Support: This is a Maricopa County program that can help people receive assistance paying for utilities. Some cities have unique offerings while others are covered under one umbrella program. 

AZ 211: This is a Arizona-State run help line that can help people connect with a variety of resources and support they may be unaware of in their area. 

Tempe Employee Relief Fund: This is a Tempe-run program (paid for by employee donations) that can provide support of up to $1,200 to assist Tempe employees with unplanned emergency bills (housing, mortgage, utilities, etc). 

Employee Assistance Program: If you have insurance through the City of Tempe, you can take advantage of the EAP, a group of resources which can provide free therapy, legal consultations, or classes on stress management. 

Cheap Recipe Guides: These are two free cookbooks designed for cooking high-nutrition and easy meals on a budget. Even if you’re not a fan of the recipes, there are some good tips on stocking a kitchen with affordable and long-lasting staples. 

Free Transit Pass: This contains information on how to obtain your free bus, streetcar, and lightrail pass as a Tempe employee. 

Thanks for a great week, everyone!