City of St. Helens Announces 2025 Employee of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23, 2026

St. Helens, Ore. – Each year, the City of St. Helens names an employee of the year who consistently goes above and beyond for the public and fellow co-workers. Nominations are submitted by City employees and then reviewed by a panel of community members to make a final selection.

For the 2025 Employee of the Year selection process, the City assembled a panel of seven community members to judge nominations. The panel was asked to set aside all bias and judge the nominees solely based on the nominations received, emphasizing the quality of the nomination and employee rather than the quantity of nominations. Six nominations were submitted for five employees.

On February 20, 2026, the City of St. Helens announced that the 2025 City of St. Helens employee of the year is Human Resources Coordinator and City Recorder Kathy Payne. Payne is a 24-year employee of the City of St. Helens. She was hired in April 2001 as a planning secretary and was quickly promoted to an executive secretary position in 2002. In 2008, Payne became City Recorder. Her job was updated in 2021 to include the additional duties of human resources coordinator, and she continues in that position today.

Payne’s nomination noted that “in public service, we often celebrate the visible accomplishments – the projects completed, the emergencies handled, the milestones achieved. But behind every one of those successes is someone ensuring that the foundation is strong. Someone making sure we hire the right people, follow the right processes, treat people fairly, and move forward with professionalism and integrity. For us, that person is Kathy.”

Payne was also recognized for her calm, solutions-oriented mindset in high-pressure situations, her leadership, initiative, and her help in strengthening the City’s work culture through organizing employee gatherings. She was described by coworkers as “supremely organized” and recognized for covering for staff in other departments when needed.

The St. Helens Employee of the Year program was implemented in 2013. An employee of the year is someone who consistently exemplifies behaviors that reflect favorably on the City. They are an employee that goes above and beyond on a regular basis; someone who goes the extra mile to help customers, both internally and externally; responds to inquiries in an efficient and timely manner; regularly participates in employee-related events; puts the City’s interests and the interests of their co-workers above their own; has an exemplary attendance record; behaves off duty in a manner that reflects positively on the City since City employees are public officials even outside work; has a positive attitude no matter the circumstances; and is noticed by people in and out of the organization.

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For further information regarding the employee of the year program, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.