1. This won’t be a “blog” per se. It isn’t meant to be a place to post all commentary or opinions. Everyone is invited to send in a note, but don’t be offended if it isn’t posted. There’s other sites that are perfectly content to drag through what they believe to be wrong with every issue at every turn. This is about what was done, why and where do we go from here. We won’t talk about two and three year old issues. If the desire is to engage in those discussions then look somewhere else.

2. This isn’t the Board of Commissioner forum. MJ has a City Manager form of government. The Board makes policy; the staff implements. I’ll be happy to pass your comments along to the Board, either good or bad, but the intent of this medium is to address how we could better enact policy and improve city services.

3. The narratives will be directly from me, your city manager. I won’t hide under some pseudonym or other persona. My name is Randy Robertson. My phone number is 754-2552. I am your City Manager. If your issue or concerns involves another department of the city (Public Works, Police, Animal Control, etc.) I will invite the appropriate team member to provide some comments, but it will still be done under the auspices of the City Manager.

4. I will try and be as timely as possible, but this is another one of the “additional duties” for which civil service is renown.

5. The City Staff is here for you. The desired outcome is for us to have a positive relationship with the citizens we serve, but we all know that always won’t happen. Everyone has an opinion. It is the staff’s responsibility to work through the opinions and emotion, meet the requirements of the laws and rules under which we operate, and hopefully serve the greatest number in that process. It is not an exact science. The more we have a relationship with you, the better we can meet your expectations.

6. Finally, this is about telling our story. Hopefully you will be able to sort the myth from reality or see the issue through a different set of lens. I hope you will find this of value and participate.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Update: 7/19/09

Good Afternoon MJ:

Last Thursday we set a record for the MJ Animal Shelter. 8 pets found new, loving homes that day. Thank you MJ for stepping up and embracing the Shelter. As of Sunday afternoon we were down to 26 dogs and cats . . . our lowest number since opening the Shelter last December.

Work progresses well on the North MJ Road widening project with sewer and water line relocations working concurrently. You may find it a challenge to get into City Hall since that is the epicenter of construction right now, so plan your trips accordingly. Also watch for traffic on Curd Rd. Work goes well out there also, with high prospects that the road will be reopened by the start of the new school year.

Just to give you a sign of the times, we had an opening for two new officer positions with the MJPD. There were over 200 applicants. If you are looking for a job we would encourage you to post your resume to the city's Job Action line we offer on Channel 3. You never know who might be watching. Interested? Call Tina for details at 754-2552. Also, speaking of Channel 3, we recently acquired a "scheduler" that will allow us to run public service announcements on Channel 3. Watch as we slowly transform from a slide to video-based service in the near future. I want to thank Mr. Taylor, the city's IT Director, for his efforts to move our technology into the 21st Century.

If you have a group meeting and would like anyone from the City staff to speak, just give me or Sharon a call. We are here to serve you. Have an HOA meeting coming up? We'll be happy to give you the latest from across the city. Call 754-2552 for details.

Good News! The weather finally broke long enough for us to lay asphalt for the new skate park. I anticipate we'll have the park up and running by mid to late August. Stay turned to Channel 3, the city home page and the local papers for more details. Also, the long awaited work on the Charlie Daniels Rec Center Expansion facility is scheduled to begin next Weds. We could certainly use any donations of building materials, money or furniture. Can you help? Call Tim Henson at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center.

Also, good news is sales taxes were up in MJ for May; nearly $42k more than last year for the same month. We also have seen more new home starts for July than any month this year. That's a good sign.

That is about all for today. Take care and talk with you later MJ>

R. Robertson
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJuly 29, 2009 at 8:46 AM

    Sir,

    Hopefully, with the school year starting in a few days, and the hope that Curd road will be open, we look forward to easier travel. If on the other hand Curd road isn't open, my hope is that there will be some kind of traffic control available.

    I live less than a mile from the HS, and it took over an hour to get my daughter to school this morning.

    At the HS, we had to enter on the north of the school, and exit on the south so entering we had to stop to allow cars to travel north, and leaving we had to stop to allow cars to enter the school. Prior planning would have had us entering on the south and exiting on the north as that is the only open road. Traffic entering or exiting the school would not have had to stop for cross traffic. A much smoother flow.

    Thanks for your time.

    Glenn Kinsman

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