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.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Update: 9/30/09

Hello MJ:

Last night I, several Department Heads and other leaders of Mt. Juliet had the opportunity to attend the Greater Nashville Regional Council’s (GNRC) 42nd Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony. My purpose in today’s posting is to let you know how it turned out (. . . before next week’s newspapers) and to express my pride and thanks in the accomplishments of Team Mt. Juliet, your public servants.

Of the 12 categories of public service programs for which we were qualified, Team Mt. Juliet captured six (6) awards. That is absolutely phenomenal! Recognition included the “Communications Award” for efforts in creating the Job Action Line and use of the Nixle emergency messaging system; the “Parks and Recreation Facilities Award” for the Skate park, Bark park, and Charlie Daniels Rec Center expansion project; the “Planning Award” for Mt. Juliet’s self-prepared 2008 Land Use Plan; two “Public Safety Awards”, the first for our state-of-the art designed and operated Animal Shelter, and the second for the MJPD Color Guard and Citizens’ Police Academy; and the “Transportation Award” for implementation of Tennessee’s first railroad Quite Zone. Yes, 50% of the awards for every municipality (53) and county (13) in Middle Tennessee went to the City of Mt. Juliet. To top off the night, we were also one of the four members of the Wilson County GIS Enterprise System recognized by winning GNRC’s Marshall S. Stuart Memorial Award for Intergovernmental Cooperation. Again, simply phenomenal.

The GNRC Local Government Awards are the benchmark for quality in governmental services and operations in Middle Tennessee. Competition for the awards is intense with cities like Franklin, Hendersonville, Goodlettsville, Nashville, Brentwood and Clarksville all in the mix. To quote the GNRC guidebook, the “awards honor local governments in the greater Nashville region which have exhibited excellence, outstanding accomplishment, and achievement or innovation in areas of public service.” As a 30+ year veteran of state, federal, military and municipal service I am well aware that in the area of governmental services there’s always more to be done and seldom sufficient time, manpower or resources. Mt. Juliet has the smallest number of civil servants serving one of the fastest growing cities in the state. This dedicated team of men and women have done a fantastic job of selflessly serving others. I am truly proud of them and want to share that pride and appreciation with the citizens of Mt. Juliet.

On some other notes, coming up next week (5-8 October) the intersection of Curd and Clemmons Road will be closed due to construction on the Reverse L. While we know this will inconvenience some, this was the optimal time to do the work due to the Fall Break for MJHS. Road signage, Nixle alerts, and additional Channel 3 and MJ City web updates will be posted. Speaking of road issues, the light at the intersection of Charlie Daniels and North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) should be operational by the end of this week. We are waiting on the contractor to finish painting the stop lines. Also, take note of the metal utility poles going up along NMJR? These are being installed at the behest and commitment of the Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners . . . kudos to them. Once the construction is complete this should be a great visual improvement to the center of our city.

Finally, this is an open invitation to join in at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Charlie Daniels Rec Center Expansion Facility. The ceremony will be at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 9 October, at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center. This is a red letter day for Mt. Juliet, receiving its new, $400k building, made possible through the combined donations of the Panattoni Corporation and Mr. Charlie Daniels. We truly hope to see you there.

Until next time, take care.

Sincerely,

R. Robertson
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