An employee safety recognition award has formally been approved for City of Washington employees. At the recent council meeting, it was approved to establish a policy where the city awards three employees with a $100 cash gift at the annual employee recognition event. Engineering Technician Keith Henkel explained over the last few years supervisors award a “safety buck” to employees when they’re found doing a task at or above the required level of safety. Those safety bucks are then turned in for a drawing at the annual recognition event. Henkel says the City has been working in recent years to improve the safety practices, “The City revamped the safety program about six years ago. In the last six years, the revamping that the City has done has lowered our insurance premiums by about $250,000.” In the past, the $300 was funded by grant dollars, but that is no longer available. The formal resolution provides funds from the development services safety budget.