EMPLOYEES ENGAGE IN HOLIDAY FUN, HELP RESIDENTS This month city employees have spread seasonal cheer and shared heartfelt moments at holidaythemed events. Our downtown was bustling with good tidings during our Mayor Jerry P. Weiers’ Hometown Christmas Parade that featured a marching band competition, more than 100 floats and awards for the best “Christmas Spirit” on Dec. 13. All proceeds from this gathering helped Hope for Hunger, a local food bank that assists families in need. You may donate nonperishable food to help residents through the end of this month. The drop-off locations at city facilities are listed here. Check out the video our videographers made showing the parade on the upper left. Holiday spirit combined with fitness when about 300 people participated in our Parks and Recreation Department’s Jingle Bell Hike at Thunderbird Conservation Park the same day. Santa Claus and the Grinch had fun with attendees, who also received treats and did a jingle-bell craft project.
Check out the latest City Manager’s Update to the right.
GREAT NEWS IN GLENDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT CREATES HOLIDAY MAGIC FOR CHILDREN
Our Police Department put smiles on the faces of children during the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Cops & Kids event on Nov. 30 at the Westgate Dave & Busters and at its annual Shop with a Cop event at the Macy’s store at Arrowhead Towne Center on Dec. 14. There were 39 children who received toys at the Dave & Busters event our Police Department planned in partnership with the FOP Lodge 12. Our City Councilmember Dianna T. Guzman donated scooters for the kids, while FOP Lodge 12 Charities provided breakfast. Dave & Busters gave the children cards to play video games. Kids had a chance to buy gifts for themselves and anyone else at the Macy’s event. About 50 children were paired with police officers, who guided them on their shopping excursion. Thank you to our Police Department for brightening these kids’ lives!
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EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT FOR EMPLOYEES
USE HOLIDAY SPECIAL TIME FOR FUN Our city values work-life balance, and reminds full-time, regular status employees that they have Holiday Special hours to use before the year ends. Employees who work 40 hours a week receive 12 Holiday Special hours per calendar year and employees who work 52 hours a week receive 15.6 Holiday Special hours per calendar year. These hours do not rollover to the next year. You may submit requests for time off using your Holiday Special Hours through UKG.
BE VIGILANT AFTER SECURITY ISSUES Employees and the public need to be aware of two recent incidents. They are the following: Payroll Phishing Attempt: A payroll-related phishing attempt was recently intercepted. An employee received an email that looked like it came from another staff member requesting a change to direct deposit information for a new account. No changes were made, but this is a reminder that all employees should take extra precautions on requests that may be suspicious, particularly related to personal or financial information. In order to protect yourself and your colleagues, if you see something suspicious like this call the employee or department director to confirm whether they actually sent it. Fraudulent Zoning Calls Our Police Department is investigating a fraud case involving someone pretending to be with our city’s zoning staff. The person has emailed residents with upcoming zoning hearings and has directed them to wire money for fraudulent “zoning fees.” Three victims have been identified. Detectives are actively investigating and pursuing additional leads in this case. If you hear about anything similar, please report it right away to our Police Department’s non-emergency line at 623930-3000.
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EXTRA GOODIES FOR EMPLOYEES
MLK’S LEGACY TO BE SHARED There is still time to register for the Inclusion Network’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 14. More details, including the location, will be available soon through NEOGOV.
SCORE DISCOUNTED RATE BOWL TICKETS Enjoy the excitement of college football for a special employee discount! Our city has teamed up with the Fiesta Sports Foundation to give employees access to tickets to the 2025 Rate Bowl on Dec. 26 at Chase Field in Phoenix with preferred pricing and discounted fees. This year’s matchup will feature the New Mexico Lobos vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Take advantage of these discounts by clicking here.
WALK, RUN, CLIMB WITH COLLEAGUES Save the date for Feb. 28 for the next WellStyles Move More Walk/Run & Wellness Fair at Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center (FRAC). The early registration deadline to ensure you will receive an event T-shirt is Jan. 28. WellStyles and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona produce this event, which is open to all city employees, as well as their family members, friends and the public. The 3.1-mile (5K) run/walk starts at 9 a.m. and the 1-mile walk begins at 9:05 a.m. Check out the FREE Community Wellness Fair from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and a FREE rock-wall climb from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. inside FRAC. The top three male and top three female 5K finishers will receive awards. Register for the event here.
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WAYS TO CONNECT IN THE COMMUNITY
ENJOY LIVE MUSIC OUTSIDE Experience the joy of the season at our Economic Development Department’s next Glendale LiVE! concert from 5 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 20 at The Courtyard at the northeast corner of 58th Avenue and Glenn Drive. Lucky Devils Band will perform in this pop and holidaythemed concert. The LiVE! series also features yard games, interactive art booths and other entertainment. Learn more on our city’s events webpage.
FIELD OPERATIONS TO RECYCLE TREES After the last gift is unwrapped and holiday feasts have been eaten, our Field Operations Department will be facilitating holiday tree recycling. Live holiday trees will be accepted for recycling from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4 at the following city locations: Acoma Park Foothills Park O’Neil Park Rose Lane Park Fire Station No. 156 Heroes Regional Park Sahuaro Ranch Park Most locations are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily but hours may vary by site. All the trees must be free of any contamination, including ornaments, lights, tinsel and stands. Residents also may place their trees outside with their regular bulk trash items. Our city teams up with the city of Phoenix to ensure these trees are used for composting. The trees are taken to a composting facility to be processed and composted into usable mulch and soil products. You may learn more about our city’s recycling efforts here.
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MORE WAYS TO ENGAGE IN GLENDALE MORE CHANCES TO CONNECT IN THE CITY EXPLORE ART, CARS, MUSIC Enjoy a unique event that combines vintage automobiles, live music, local artisans and other entertainment. The 4th Annual Downtown Glendale Arts & Culture Fest: Rhythms and Rides will bring diverse fun to downtown at 5750 W. Glenn Drive from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 31. Our city partners with the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) to provide this immersive event. Learn more here.
ENROLL IN ‘GLENDALE U’ If you would like to gain a better understanding of how everything works in Glendale, there is a great program you may take, along with residents. The Spring 2026 Glendale University program will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays between March 4 and May 6 at a different city facility each week. This free program, sponsored by Arizona State University, shows participants how public safety, city court, libraries, public works, as well as finance and budget and other city services operate. Registration opens the first week of January and it is available to the first 40 people who sign up. Register and learn more here.
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SHOWING CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY
MAYOR TO HOST BLOOD DRIVE There is a critical need for blood after the winter holidays, and our Mayor Jerry P. Weiers invites all employees and community members to his blood drive on Jan. 6 at the Civic Center.
CONTINUING STORY OF SHINING EMPLOYEE
This event will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Anyone who donates blood will receive a voucher for either the Waste Management Phoenix Open or the Arizona Renaissance Festival. For information, including age requirements for donating blood, visit Vitalant’s website. You also may contact Ali Waelchli-Brooks, our Wellness Program Manager, at 623-930-2467, with any questions.
CITRUS GLEANING TO HONOR MLK Our Community Services Department is gearing up for a special event to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is organizing a citrus gleaning and collecting citrus donations. Volunteers will glean citrus from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 17 at Sahuaro Ranch and Manistee Ranch parks. The public is urged to donate citrus at the event. Citrus that is picked and donated will be given to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance to distribute to families in need.
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