Employee Incentive Awards Program (2003 LGAA)

City of Canandaigua (Winner)
County: Ontario County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
City Hall: (585) 396-5017

Recognizing that city employees are most familiar with the delivery of services and, as such, are in the best position to find ways to reduce costs, the City of Canandaigua instituted the Employee Incentive Awards Program.

The provision of incentives and rewards encourages employees to make suggestions that will result in cost or time savings. The recognition of employees who perform "extraordinary service" with cash bonuses provides a means of rewarding employees. This program also encourages union employees to go beyond the narrow scope of their duties as defined in the labor agreement. Examples of cost saving ideas that have been presented since the inception of the program have been in such areas as health insurance, grant writing, and mailing costs. This program reduces the cost of local government, without compromis¡ing the quality of services, while maintaining a well-qualified and motivated workforce.á Implementing the program involved making employees aware of its existence, setting up administrative procedures to be followed, and publicly rewarding the employee.