Mayor to Present April 2024 Award of Excellence

Mayor to Present April 2024 Award of Excellence

Published on July 08, 2024

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today will present the Mayor's Award of Excellence for April 2024 to Zachary Halley of the Parks and Recreation Department. The award will be presented at 3 p.m. at the beginning of the City Council meeting at the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th St. The awards recognize City employees who consistently provide exemplary service and work that demonstrates personal commitment to Lincoln.

Halley was nominated by eight Parks and Recreation employees in the categories of safety, productivity, loss prevention and customer relations for his work as a supervisor and volunteer coordinator for Lincoln's public gardens.

In their nominations, team members agreed that Halley is an excellent communicator, listener, motivator, problem solver and expert gardener.

"Zac exceeds any and all expectations one might have for a boss. He is efficient, has excellent communication skills, problem solves on the fly, collaborates well with others, motivational, empathetic, and respectful; all while maintaining a humble and gracious attitude," one nominator wrote.

The other category in which employees can be nominated is valor. Consideration also may be given to nominations that demonstrate self-initiated accomplishments or those completed outside of the nominee's job description. All City employees are eligible for the award except for elected and appointed officials.

Individuals or teams can be nominated by supervisors, peers, subordinates, and the public. Nomination forms are available at lincoln.ne.gov/awardofexcellence or from department heads, employee bulletin boards or the Human Resources Department, which oversees the awards program.

All nominations are considered by the Mayor's Award of Excellence Committee, which includes a representative with each union and a non-union representative appointed by the Mayor. Award winners receive a $50 gift certificate, a day off with pay and a certificate. All monthly winners and nominees are eligible to receive the annual award, which comes with a $250 gift certificate, two days off with pay and a plaque.