EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
Sanford Census
January 25, 2017
2017 Tax Filing Season Begins January 23 for
Nation’s Taxpayers, Tax Returns Due April 18
Recent
Promotions
Brandon Buchanan
Firefighter III
Fire
The IRS will begin accepting electronic tax returns that day, with more than
153 million individual tax returns
expected to be filed in 2017. The IRS
again expects more than four out of
five tax returns will be prepared electronically using tax return preparation
software.
Many software companies and tax
professionals will be accepting tax
returns before January 23 and then
will submit the returns when IRS
systems open. The IRS will begin
processing paper tax returns at the
same time. There is no advantage to
filing tax returns on paper in early
January instead of waiting for the IRS
to begin accepting e-filed returns.
David Camacho
EO II
Street
Vincent Fox
LUMW
D&C
Inside this issue:
Tax Information
2
2016 Service Award
3
New Borns
5
Congratulations
6
Allergy Symptoms
7
Identity Theft
8
Money Matters
9
Wellness
11
New Hires
13
The IRS reminds taxpayers that a new
law requires the IRS to hold refunds
claiming the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) and the Additional
Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until
February 15. In addition, the IRS
wants taxpayers to be aware it will
take several days for these refunds to
be released and processed through
financial institutions. Factoring in
weekends and the President’s Day
holiday, the IRS cautions that many
affected taxpayers may not have actual
access to their refunds until the week
of February 27.
“For this tax season, it’s more important than ever for taxpayers to plan
ahead,” IRS Commissioner John
Koskinen said. “People should make
sure they have their year-end tax
statements in hand, and we encourage
people to file as they normally would,
including those claiming the credits
affected by the refund delay. Even with
these significant changes, IRS employees and the entire tax community will
be working hard to make this a smooth
filing season for taxpayers.”
The IRS also reminds taxpayers that
they should keep copies of their prioryear tax returns for at least three years.
Taxpayers who are changing tax software products this filing season will
need their adjusted gross income from
their 2015 tax return in order to file
electronically. The Electronic Filing Pin
is no longer an option. Taxpayers can
visit IRS.Gov/GetReady for more tips
on preparing to file their 2016 tax
return.
April 18 Filing Deadline
The filing deadline to submit 2016 tax
returns is Tuesday, April 18, 2017,
rather than the traditional April 15 date.
In 2017, April 15 falls on a Saturday,
and this would usually move the filing
deadline to the following Monday —
April 17. However, Emancipation Day
— a legal holiday in the District of
Columbia — will be observed on that
Monday, which pushes the nation’s
Read more on next page
Tax Information Continued
filing deadline to Tuesday, April 18,
2017. Under the tax law, legal holidays
in the District of Columbia affect the
filing deadline across the nation.
should file as usual, and tax return
preparers should also submit returns as
they normally do — including returns
claiming EITC and ACTC.
“The opening of filing season reflects
months and months of work by IRS
employees,” Koskinen said. “This year,
we had a number of important legislative
changes to program into our systems,
including the EITC refund date, as well
as dealing with resource limitations. Our
systems require extensive programming
and testing beforehand to ensure we’re
ready to accept and process more than
150 million returns.”
The IRS will begin releasing EITC and
ACTC refunds starting February 15.
However, the IRS cautions taxpayers that
these refunds likely won’t arrive in bank
accounts or on debit cards until the week
of February 27 (assuming there are no
processing issues with the tax return and
the taxpayer chose direct deposit). This
additional period is due to several factors, including banking and financial
systems needing time to process deposits.
The IRS also has been working with the
tax industry and state revenue departments as part of the Security Summit
initiative to continue strengthening processing systems to protect taxpayers from
identity theft and refund fraud. A number
of new provisions are being added in
2017 to expand progress made during the
past year.
After refunds leave the IRS, it
takes additional time for them to be processed and for financial institutions to
accept and deposit the refunds to
bank accounts and products. The IRS
reminds taxpayers many financial institutions do not process payments on weekends or holidays, which can affect when
refunds reach taxpayers. For EITC and
ACTC filers, the three-day holiday weekend involving President’s Day may affect
their refund timing.
The IRS also reminds taxpayers that a
trusted tax professional can provide
helpful information and advice about the
ever-changing tax code. Tips for choosing a return preparer and details about
national tax professional groups are
available on IRS.gov.
Where's My Refund? on IRS.gov and the
IRS2Go phone app will be updated with
projected deposit dates for early EITC
and ACTC refund filers a few days after
February 15. Taxpayers will not see a
refund date on Where's My Refund? or
through their software packages until
then. The IRS, tax preparers and tax software will not have additional information
on refund dates, so Where’s My Refund?
remains the best way to check the status
of a refund.
ITINs are used by people who have taxfiling or payment obligations under U.S.
law but are not eligible for a Social Security number. Under a recent change in
law, any ITIN not used on a tax return at
least once in the past three years will
expire on Jan. 1, 2017. In addition, any
ITIN with middle digits of either 78 or
79 (9NN-78-NNNN or 9NN-79-NNNN)
will also expire on that date.
Refunds in 2017
Choosing e-file and direct deposit for
refunds remains the fastest and safest
way to file an accurate income tax return
and receive a refund.
The IRS still anticipates issuing more
than nine out of 10 refunds in less than
21 days, but there are some important
factors to keep in mind for taxpayers.
Beginning in 2017, a new law requires
the IRS to hold refunds on tax returns
claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit
or the Additional Child Tax Credit until
mid-February. Under the change required
by Congress in the Protecting Americans
from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, the IRS
must hold the entire refund — even the
portion not associated with the EITC and
ACTC — until at least February 15. This
change helps ensure that taxpayers get
the refund they are owed by giving the
IRS more time to help detect and prevent
fraud.
As in past years, the IRS will begin
accepting and processing tax returns once
the filing season begins. All taxpayers
Page 2
Help for Taxpayers
The IRS reminds taxpayers they have a
variety of options to get help filing and
preparing their tax return on IRS.gov.
Taxpayers can also, if eligible, locate
help from a community volunteer. Go to
IRS.gov and click on the Filing tab for
more information.
Seventy percent of the nation’s taxpayers
are eligible for IRS Free File. Commercial partners of the IRS offer free brand-
name software to about 100 million individuals and families with incomes of
$64,000 or less.
Online fillable forms provides electronic
versions of IRS paper forms to all taxpayers regardless of income that can be
prepared and filed by people comfortable
with completing their own returns.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
(VITA) and Tax Counseling for the
Elderly (TCE) offer free tax help to
people who qualify. Go to irs.gov and
enter “free tax prep” in the search box to
learn more and find a nearby VITA or
TCE site, or download the IRS2Go
smartphone app to find a free tax prep
provider.
Renewal Reminder for Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINS)
This means that anyone with an expiring
ITIN and a need to file a tax return in the
upcoming filing season should file a
renewal application in the next few
weeks to avoid lengthy refund and processing delays. Failure to renew early
could result in refund delays and denial
of some tax benefits until the ITIN is
renewed.
Taken from: www.IRS.Gov
Sanford Census
Service Award Banquet
Five Years Service
Twenty Years Service
Ten Years Service
Fifteen Years Service
Page 4
Sanford Census
Twenty Five Years Service
Thirty Years Service
Congratulations to Daniel and
Jennifer Henningsen on the
birth of their son William
Henry “Hank” Henningsen.
He was born on December 8,
2016; he was five pounds and
fifteen ounces.
Page 5
NEW BORNS
Congratulations to Ryan and
Mackenzie Edmonds on the
birth of their new daughter
Sarah Kate Edmonds. She
was born on December 20,
2016; she was six pounds and
four ounces.
Congratulations to Chad and
Dana McNeill on the birth of
their son Easton McNeill. He
was born on November 30,
2016; he was six pounds and
thirteen ounces and twenty
and a half inches long.
Congratulations
O
ur Hometown Hero of the week is David Nance of
the Sanford Fire Department, who has served for 36
years. David was nominated by his daughter, Rebecca, who
says, “My father has showed nothing but love and dedication
while working in the fire service. He worked most of the time
in our lives, but my sister and I never complained because we
knew he was saving lives at work. He works along with the
Jaycee Burn Center to provide gifts for burn survivors at
Christmas. He also started a benefit motorcycle ride to raise
money for Camp Celebrate, a camp for burned kids, in the
summer.
He always puts his family before himself, loves to ride his
motorcycle in spare time, and loves to spoil his grandson.”
Thank you David for all you do to serve the community.
Taken from: ‘Our Hometown Hero Web Page’
C
ongratulations to Ebony McLean, Assistant
Customer Service Manager for the City of Sanford,
on being selected as a 2016 Local Government Federal Credit Union Fellow by the UNC School of
Government.
Ebony was one of 50 Fellows chosen from a pool of
150 applicants from across the state. Selection for
the program was based on identification of emerging
leaders in local government.
As a Fellow, Ebony completed the Leading for
Results course at the School of Government.
Focusing on organizational leadership, the program
gave Ebony the opportunity to explore her personal
leadership style and strengths, to practice leadership
behaviors, and to work with a coach on effective
leadership strategies.
Ebony looks forward to using her leadership
knowledge and skills to help both the City of
Sanford and the community at large.
Page 6
Sanford Census
Put Allergy Symptoms to Rest
When allergies kick into high gear, the
great outdoors becomes a source of
misery for anyone reacting to pollen and
other commonplace allergens. If you
suffer from seasonal allergies but don't
know exactly what causes them, the first
step is to visit a reputable allergist and
get tested to determine exactly what your
allergic triggers are. Although severe
allergies require a doctor's care, these
simple home remedies and treatments
can often alleviate symptoms of mild
allergies that mimic a common cold.
ADD SOME STEAM
Humidity is an excellent natural decongestant. Even when the outdoor climate
is humid and sultry, air-conditioned interiors can be very dry. If the entire family
is suffering from clogged nasal passages,
then using a home (or room) humidifier
is a good idea. However, if you're the
only member of the household having a
problem, the easiest way to humidify
your nasal passages is to boil a pot of
water and inhale the steam. Take care not
to get close enough to scald your face.
DRY THINGS OUT
Although some allergies are exacerbated
by overly dry air, other allergies
(particularly mold allergies) have the
opposite problem: too much humidity
makes them worse. If mold and mildew
cause allergic reactions, using a dehumidifier or air conditioner can keep that
problem in check.
TAKE A SHOWER
Even when you look and feel perfectly
clean, it's possible that pollen grains and
other microscopic allergens are clinging
to your hair and skin. Taking a shower
will wash away allergens and offer the
benefits of steam therapy, as well. However, showering too frequently can result
in dry skin, so don't forget to apply some
hypoallergenic moisturizer after toweling
off.
HAVE SOME TEA
A hot cup of tea not only provides steam
to clear out your nasal passages; the tea
itself can prove beneficial. Many allergy
Page 7
sufferers swear by the benefits of peppermint tea as a dual decongestant and
expectorant. If you try "tea therapy,"
make sure the tea itself won't exacerbate
the problem. If you suffer from ragweed
allergies, for example, the ingredients in
chamomile tea can trigger an allergic
reaction.
USE A SALINE WASH
Almost every drugstore sells saline nasal
spray for moisturizing and cleaning out
nasal passages and loosening thick
mucus buildup. It's cheaper to make
saline solution at home, provided you
strictly adhere to certain safety measures.
Never make a nasal saline solution out of
water straight from the tap. The Food and
Drug Administration recommends buying bottled water labeled "distilled" or
"sterile," or boiling tap water for at least
three to five minutes, then cooling it
down to lukewarm. A third option suggested by the FDA is to use a filter with
an absolute pore size of 1 micron or
smaller to remove potentially infectious
organisms from the water.
TRY A NETI POT
Neti pots work a lot like saline sprays: A
gentle rinse of salty water can clear out
nasal passages and break through mucus
buildups. Neti pots also require the same
safety precautions as homemade saline
sprays: namely, the water must be completely sterile, because microorganisms
that are safe to drink (stomach acids kill
them) can still be dangerous to put into
nasal passages. According to the FDA,
improper use of neti pots might have
caused two deaths in Louisiana in 2011,
after the pots were filled with tap water
containing a rare brain-eating amoeba.
CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES
If "outside" allergies such as pollen trouble you even inside with the doors and
windows shut, the culprit might be allergens hitching a ride on your clothes. Get
into the habit of changing into fresh
clothing as soon as you enter the house -and keep "outdoor" clothes segregated
from "indoor" apparel.
GET A HEPA FILTER
High-efficiency particulate air filters can
help relieve allergy symptoms by removing pollen grains, animal dander, mold
spores, and other potential allergens from
the air. Many homes with modern heating
and cooling systems already include
HEPA filters, but if yours doesn't, then a
room-size HEPA air cleaner is the next
best thing. HEPA filters need replacement
every six months to every two years,
depending on which brand of filter is used
and how "dirty" the local air is.
SPICE UP YOUR DIET
Anyone with a fondness for spicy foods is
familiar with their eye-watering, noserunning effects. If you're suffering only
mild nasal congestion, a nice spicy meal
might clear things out -- and if not, at
least you got to enjoy the flavor.
DON'T EAT LOCAL HONEY
One popular home allergy remedy might
be more harmful than helpful: eating raw
local honey. This recommendation is
based on the principle of immunotherapy
-- that exposure to small amounts of an
allergen "teaches" your immune system
how to properly handle it. If you're
allergic to pollen, the theory goes, then
eating honey made from local pollen can
help beat the allergy.
But there are two problems with this
theory. First, while immunotherapy has
shown some effectiveness in reducing
allergic sensitivities, the patients with
verifiable success stories were under
strictly controlled medical supervision. In
other words, immunotherapy isn't something to experiment with at home. Secondly, there's no way of knowing which
types of pollen and other potential allergens are contained in local honey. Honey
may be a tasty sugar substitute, but it's
unlikely to relieve allergy symptoms.
Taken from: http://www.msn.com/enus/health/wellness/got-allergies-9-homeremedies-
Sanford Census
Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
Summary

Unless you have initiated the call, or have
made an initial inquiry via e-mail, don’t
give out personal data such as your
address, phone number and driver’s
license number, credit card or Social
Security number, to anyone.
You probably wouldn’t think of leaving
your car, purse or wallet wide open,
unwatched and unprotected from theft. But
protecting your Social Security, bank
account, credit card and health insurance
numbers may not come so naturally. If your
personal information falls into the hands of
identity thieves, you could lose not only a
lot of money but also your good name.
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With your personal information, a thief can:
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Buy things with your credit card
number
Counterfeit checks or debit cards to
drain your bank account
Open a bank account in your name and
write bad checks on it
Get new credit cards in your name
Set up phone or wireless service in your
name
Steal your tax refund
Get medical care in your name
Buy cars by taking out auto loans in
your name
Pretend to be you if arrested
In short, identity thieves can clean you out,
ruin your credit and may even get you
falsely accused of a crime. The good news
is, it’s possible to get in the habit of safeguarding your identity, online and off.
Protect yourself online
How can you protect your personal information when you go online? Experts suggest
steps such as these:
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Install security software on your computer and set it to automatically update.
You should have a firewall as well as
anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
Use strong passwords on your financial
and other sensitive accounts. Passwords
should be a mix of at least 10 letters,
numbers and special characters. Change
your passwords frequently.
Page 8
Verify all websites for authenticity
before you make a purchase online
using a credit card. Many websites
register with third parties such as
VeriSign or TRUSTe for this purpose.
Double-check that the sensitive data
you send will be encrypted by looking
for a lock icon on the status bar of the
web browser and the letters “https” at
the beginning of the web address. The
‘s’ stands for ‘secure.’
Don’t send personal information over
the Internet when using public Wi-Fi
unless you know for sure that the
connection is secure.
Keep personal information to a minimum on social networking sites. If you
share too much about yourself, a thief
could mine your pages for answers to
“challenge” questions that will allow
access to your financial and other
accounts.
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contacts you, look up the company’s
name and contact their customer
service department to verify that the
call or email is legitimate.
Cut, tear or shred anything with personal data on it before throwing it in the
trash. This includes offers you get for
financial services such as credit cards.
Tear the labels off prescription bottles
before you dispose of them.
Avoid carrying your Social Security
card, birth certificate or passport. Keep
them in a secure place. Reduce personal
data in your wallet to a minimum—no
account numbers or PINs. Carry only
the credit or ATM cards you regularly
use.
Check your bank and credit card statements regularly for suspicious activity.
Read the statements from your health
insurance plan. Make sure the claims
paid match the care you got.
Order a credit report at least once a
year to ensure accuracy.
Protect your devices

With so much personal information stored
on phones, tablets and laptops, it’s important
to take care that yours don’t fall into the
wrong hands.
Take action in case of theft
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Wipe out your computer’s hard drive
before disposing of it. Use a utility
program to overwrite or wipe it clean if
you’re selling or donating your computer. If you’re throwing it away, physically remove and destroy the hard drive.
Check with your phone manufacturer
on the best way to remove personal
information from your mobile device
before disposing of it.
Don’t leave your laptop unattended. If
you have to step away from it, lock it
with a security cable.
Protect your personal information in
other ways
The telephone and email are potent tools for
thieves who can skillfully put you off your
guard. Be suspicious of anyone who poses
as a representative of a financial institution,
the IRS or any other company or agency and
asks you to verify personal information or
account numbers.

Don’t give out personal information
over the phone or the Internet unless
you initiated the contact. If someone
Act quickly if you see evidence of theft such
as inaccuracies on your credit report, unfamiliar charges on your credit card or bills
for purchases you didn’t make. Take the
following steps immediately:
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Contact one of the three credit rating
agencies, Experian, TransUnion and
Equifax, to place a fraud alert on your
credit files (you do not have to contact
all three).
For any accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened, call the
security departments of the creditors or
financial institutions. Close the
accounts.
Report any identity theft to your local
police, or to the police in the area
where the theft occurred. Get a copy of
the police report in case a bank, credit
card company or others later need to
verify the crime.
Alert all creditors listed on your credit
report—stores, credit-card companies
and other grantors of credit—to the
fraud. Call the credit grantors directly
to have inaccurate information
removed.
Provided by: Beacon Health Options
Sanford Census
Page 9
Sanford Census
4 ways to rule your 52-week challenge
Looking for an easy way to save
$1,378 a year? Take the 52-Week
Challenge! This popular challenge is
an incremental savings plan that
encourages you to save a little cash
each week. Over the course of the
year, those small deposits will add up
to big savings. Here’s how to rule
your 52-Week Challenge.
Start the challenge
The Challenge is simple: start your
year by saving $1 in the first week of
2017, then $2 in the second week, $3
the next and so on. At the end of the
year, you will have saved $1,378 – a
little more than pocket change! It’s a
great way to start an emergency fund
or to save for a special purchase.
New Year’s challenge
Embrace the 52-Week Challenge as a
New Year’s resolution. Let your
family and friends know about your
challenge. Share your monthly
progress on social media to hold
yourself accountable and be recognized for your efforts. Your progress
may even motivate others!
instead of up. Kickoff your 52-Week
Challenge in January with $52 in
week one, $51 in week two, and so
on. By the time December rolls
around, you’ll be down to single digit
dollar amounts and can finish the
challenge with ease.
Have fun with your challenge
Create a support team of friends and
coworkers, and arrange a “buddy
challenge.” Ask them to save along
with you. This way you can support
one another. Want more of an incentive? Plan to take a trip together with
the money you’ve saved.
Hack your Challenge
Worried you’ll forget to save for your
weekly challenge? Create a separate
account and have your weekly contribution automatically deposited into
that account. Hint: if you deposit $26
each week for 52 weeks, you’ll still
end up with $1,378 at the end of your
year!
Count down instead of up!
As the Challenge comes to an end in
December, it may be harder to save
larger amounts with the holidays
looming. Instead try counting down
Provided by: LFGCU
Get Kids off to a good start with money
chores and an allowance. She’s going
to need a place to keep the money she
child will mirror your behavior and
saves, so take her to your bank or
values, including how you manage
credit union to open an account. Tell
money. As your child grows, create
opportunities to make learning about her about when you opened your first
account. Then visit the bank or credit
money fun!
union together every month to get her
Challenge her imagination
in the habit of consistent savings and
Kids from pre-school to second grade
to learn new things about money.
learn from play. Have your child be
Conquer the supermarket
the shopkeeper of an imaginary
general store. Gather items from your As your child moves from elementary
school to junior high, she’s becoming
pantry to stock the shelves of the
more open to learning life lessons.
store. You can use coins for buying
Take her shopping and have her read
and selling. This is a great time to
price labels at the supermarket. Show
introduce her to a piggy bank, as
her how to identify items on sale,
well.
find an item’s price per ounce or
Visit your bank or credit union
quantity, and compare generic to
Your child’s elementary school years
brand name items. If you take her
are a prime time for learning the
shopping frequently she may become
value of saving and working for the
your own personal shopper!
things they want. Introduce her to
If you’re a parent, you can bet your
Page 10
Getting a better handle on money
Your teen can become sharper about
money and savings by being a manager-in-training. Have her clean out
your basement, attic, and closets to
manage a yard sale. Between handling inventory, pricing, haggling,
and keeping up with the cashbox, her
sense of responsibility and understanding of value will grow leaps and
bounds. Put her in charge of the table
and have her deposit money earned in
a savings account where it can grow
with dividends and additional
deposits.
Sharing your experiences with your
kids and engaging them with
learning-by-doing will set the table
for good choices and values.
Provided by: LFGCU
Sanford Census
Welcome YOUR 2017 Wellness
Ambassadors:
Kiefer Christian (Water Plant)
Patrick Carroll (Police)
Amy Furmage (Finance)
Donna Matthews (PW)
Sarah Jordan (WWTP)
Krista Thomas (Fire)
David Von Canon (Golf)
Lee Stoops (Solid Waste)
Eric Nance (Street)
Richard Starr (Engineering)
Andy Davis (Fleet)
David Montgomery (Community Development)
Karen Ragland, Chairperson (HR)
Makenzie Mullinax, Adhoc Member, Mark III Benefits
Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or
suggestions regarding the Wellness Committee. We would
love to hear from you!
Page 11
Sanford Census
City vs. County Challenge
Caption describing picture or
graphic.
The City has been challenged by the County with a Biggest Loser Contest. This is an 8 week
(February 1- March 31) weight loss challenge based on the total percentage loss per participant. The challenge will include 3 categories:
Biggest % of Weight Loss- Overall
Biggest % of Weight Loss- Males
Biggest % of Weight Loss- Females
Participants will be set up to use an online tracking system, Super Tracker, through the USDA
website to help them through the challenge. Super Tracker develops a personalized nutrition
and physical activity plan for each participant. Participants can use the “My Weight Manager”
feature to track weight loss, so there are NO scary group weigh-ins! Other features available include a “Food-a-pedia”, Food tracker, and Physical Activity Tracker.
Contact Karen Ragland @ 777-1130 for more details and to sign up. The deadline to sign up is:
Friday, 1/27/17.
Page 12
Sanford Census
New Hires
Kristopher Higgins
Ivan Rincon
Robert Otis
Police Officer I
Police Officer I
Police Officer III
Police
Police
Police
1-6-2017
1-6-2017
1-6-2017
Matthew Buchanan
Alexandria Voignier
Dareon Norman
UMW II
Planner II
UMW I
D&C
Planning
D&C
12-27-2016
1-23-2017
1-20-2017
Page 13
Sanford Census