Heath City Council Retains Human Resources Consultant Firm

/in

The Heath City Council voted at its October 9 City Council meeting to retain the services of Usrey and Associates, Inc., a Human Resources Consulting firm specializing in public sector, private sector and non-profit entities since 2007.

The consulting firm is directed by Kathryn Usrey, an independent human resources consultant with 26 years of experience including serving as Director of the Human Resource Department for the City of Denton, Texas, and Carrollton, Texas. In both entities, she was responsible for managing all aspects of Human Resources, including the employee benefit programs and self-funded benefit plans.

Recent consulting clients include the Town of Highland Park, which like the City of Heath, has a Department of Public Safety with officers who are triple-certified as firefighters, police officers and EMTs.

“I look forward to working with the employees, City Manager and the Council as we work to align the staff and Council goals to prepare for the future of Heath,” said Ms. Usrey, who will assess the City’s Human Resources program and consult with the Mayor and City Council to advise any necessary strategies for the City of Heath going forward.

“My strategy is to start by talking to every employee with a short list of questions to learn how they feel about working for the City, what they feel works well, and what doesn’t,” she explained. “We will talk about what they like about the work environment and any concerns or obstacles that get in the way of accomplishing their responsibilities.”

Ms. Usrey will also analyze the documents surrounding the Human Resources function such as pay plans and benefits, job descriptions and the employee handbook.  This will lead to discussions with key individuals about processes and to ensure compliance with federal laws.

Noted for her innovative approach to Human Resources, Ms. Usrey works with a strong background in compensation administration, benefit administration, employee training and development, payroll administration, Human Resources technology systems, employee relations and strategic Human Resources planning.  Her achievements include playing a key role in the startup of the Public Employee Benefit Alliance, a coalition of Texas public sector agencies that joined forces in the bidding of benefit programs.

In addition, Ms. Usrey helped start another shared services program with Monster.com and the North Central Texas Council of Governments to provide a lower cost for employment advertising. She has also served on the Board of Directors for The Texas Municipal League, the TML Intergovernmental Employee Benefit Pool, the Texas Municipal Human Resources Association and was appointed by the Governor to The Texas Municipal Retirement System.